Steinway Mansion

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Steinway Mansion
Map
Location18-33 41st Street, Astoria, Queens, New York 11105
Coordinates40°46′43.5″N 73°53′49.5″W / 40.778750°N 73.897083°W / 40.778750; -73.897083
Area0.28 acres (1,100 m2)
Built1858
Architectural style
NRHP reference No.83001780[1]
NYCL No.0632
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 8, 1983
Designated NYCLFebruary 15, 1967

The Steinway Mansion (also the Benjamin Pike Jr. House) is at 18-33 41st Street on a quarter-acre hilltop in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City.

History

Pike family

The mansion was constructed as a 27-room summer home from 1857 to 1858 at a cost of $85,000 on a property of 70 acres and 4,000 foot waterfront.[2][3] It was built on the Long Island Sound by Benjamin Pike Jr., a Manhattan-based manufacturer of optical and scientific instruments.[3]

Steinway family

Following Pike's death in 1864, his widow sold the mansion to William Steinway of Steinway & Sons in 1870.[3]

In response to the tenuous labor situation in Manhattan and the violent New York City draft riots that had previously threatened his factory, Steinway expanded his Queens property to a massive 440 acres,[4] upon which he would build the Steinway Piano Factory and what would become Steinway Village, a self-sufficient company town designed to support his business operations. By relocating to a less congested environment, he aimed to avoid the labor unrest and logistical challenges associated with operating in Manhattan. Steinway Village included housing for his workers, a church, a library, a kindergarten, and countless amenities, ensuring a stable community for employees and their families assembled from the scrublands and swamps that previously occupied the vast swath of property.[5][6][7][8][9] Additionally, a public trolley line was constructed to connect the area to the rest of Queens.[5][6]

The eastern portions of the property were developed into North Beach Amusement Park at Bowery Bay Beach. This area would later undergo significant transformation to become North Beach Airport in 1929, later renamed LaGuardia Airport.[7][9]

It has been alleged that President Grover Cleveland visited and slept at the mansion in the 1880’s as a guest of Henry E. Steinway however no verifiable accounts have ever been found.[10]

Halberian family

Jack Halberian, an Armenian-Turkish immigrant who had arrived in the United States in 1913,[11] first encountered the Steinway Mansion while riding a trolley through Astoria toward North Beach Amusement Park in 1914. Struck by the grandeur of the house, he vowed that one day he would own it, a dream that initially drew laughter from his friends.[12] After saving enough money through his tailoring business during World War I,[12] he purchased the mansion shortly after it was put up for sale by the Steinway family in 1926. However, due to its remote location, the mansion's electricity and running water had been supplied from the nearby Steinway factory, and hence, once the Steinways left, said services were discontinued, forcing Halberian to undertake major upgrades and renovations. He proceeded to install new water lines and persuaded Con Edison to construct power lines that would connect the mansion to the larger grid. However, as a result of the high costs, he nearly went bankrupt and was forced to take out a demand mortgage in 1928 that nearly cost him the house.[11]

During the Great Depression, Halberian was offered $75,000 for the house by a Greek primate named Athenagoras, who wanted to convert it into an orphanage that would work in tandem with the recently opened Saint Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria. However, despite pleas from his friends and loved ones, he was left uninfluenced by the money due to his love for the mansion.[11] In an effort to raise additional money to pay for the vast expenditures associated with maintenance, the mansion was converted into a four-family home. The Halberians lived in one section, while three other families rented out the others.[11][12]

In 1966, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the mansion as a landmark, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[13][14] Despite its well-known connection to the Steinway Family, Henry Z. Steinway, the last member of the Steinway family to be president of Steinway & Sons, said the "Steinway Mansion" name was misleading, noting "the Halberians owned the mansion longer than the Steinways did".[15]

Upon Jack Halberians's death in 1976, his son Michael Halberian inherited the property and began his own extensive restoration and renovation efforts. A complete renovation of the basement saw the addition of a motorized 1,000-pound chandelier, originally belonging to the Whitney family[12], jacuzzi, steam room, and sauna. Later, he purchased and restored six mahogany booths at a price of $20,000, which were older than the mansion and were once part of an English pub.[11] While visiting the mansion during his tenure as Mayor of New York City, Ed Koch[10] offered Halberian compensation for the six booths so that he could have them moved to the recently renovated Gracie Mansion. However, Halberian declined the offer.[11][12]

In addition to his restoration work, Michael amassed an extensive collection of historical artifacts within the mansion. Among the items he preserved were 19th-century New York City corporation manuals, ancient cannons, early magic lantern projectors, hundreds of historic maps, and several scientific instruments originally manufactured by Benjamin Pike Jr.[12]

In later years, Halberian faced growing difficulty maintaining the mansion due to his advancing age,[11] rising maintenance costs, and an annual property tax burden of approximately $20,000.[12]

Post-Halberian

The mansion was placed for sale after Michael Halberian's death in 2010, but the high price, protected status, and poor condition deterred potential buyers from purchasing the property.[15][16] The Friends of Steinway Mansion attempted unsuccessfully to raise $5 million and acquire the house out of fears of future mishandling.[17] After years on the market, as well as numerous price reductions,[18][19] Sal Lucchese and Phil Loria paid $2.65 million for the property in 2014.[20][21][19] Parts of the surrounding land were then developed into commercial warehouses, leaving the mansion on just more than a quarter acre of property.[22] By this time, the nearly 150-year-old mansion was in a state of significant deterioration and hence the new owners undertook an ambitious restoration project, which included reconstructing the grand balcony.

In 2022, the Steinway Mansion hosted the annual gala of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, a fundraising event attended by local public officials and community leaders.[23]

Description

Steinway Mansion in 1881

The Steinway Mansion is a grand Italianate and Renaissance Revival villa-style dwelling, though its architect remains unknown. It is constructed of granite and bluestone with cast iron ornamentation and has a two-story, T-shaped central section gable roof. It has a one-story library, that is now an office, with a wing housing large bay windows. Other notable elements include three porches supported by cast iron Corinthian columns, five Italian marble fireplaces, and original pocket doors with cut glass depicting many of Benjamin Pike Jr.’s scientific instruments. The center main hall contains elaborately carved walnut balustrades, a two-story domed rotunda topped with a central stained glass skylight, 12-foot (3.7 m) ceilings throughout. There are three large underground cisterns designed to collect rainwater from the roof for grounds irrigation and a 1000-gallon (3,800 L) copper tank in the attic to furnish the house with a pressurized water system for bath and kitchen use.The mansion’s most striking feature is a four-story tower crowned with an octagonal cupola that was previously surrounded by balusterades.[11][12]

In 2006, a documentary titled The Steinway Mansion was produced, featuring extensive interviews with Michael Halberian and Henry Z. Steinway, as well as rare archival photographs.[11]

Films

  • The Pursuit of Happiness (1971): The Steinway Mansion was used as the filming location for the grandmother's house. Both interior and exterior scenes were filmed at the mansion.[24]

Television

  • Evil (2019), Season 1, Episode 6 ("Let x = 9"): An interior scene was filmed at the Steinway Mansion.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Steinway Mansion, Astoria, NY". americanhistory.si.edu. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Pike Jr., Benjamin (1993). Pike's Illustrated Catalogue of Optical, Mathematical, and Philosophical Instruments (Norman Science/Technology Series, No. 1). Norman Science Technology Series. San Francisco: Norman Pub. pp. ix. ISBN 978-0-930405-54-0.
  4. ^ Lieberman, Richard K. (1995). Steinway & Sons. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-300-06364-6.
  5. ^ a b "Steinway Village: A Company Town". americanhistory.si.edu. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Company Town - Steinway & Sons". January 23, 2025. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Tarleton, Jonathan (June 26, 2013). "Field Trip: Steinway Village". Urban Omnibus. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  8. ^ Kelsey, J.S.; Long Island Star Publishing Company (1896). History of Long Island City, New York. The Library of Congress. Issued by the Long Island Star Publishing Company.
  9. ^ a b "Features of Greater New-York". The New York Times. 45 (14007): 25. July 12, 1896.
  10. ^ a b "Steinway Mansion: Bloomberg Administration Failure Inaction on Historical Preservation in NYC". www.brooklynblvd.nyc. October 7, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i The Steinway Mansion, documentary by James Sabastian on YouTube
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Hernandez, Raymond (April 15, 1993). "A Mansion of Dreams Awakes in Urban Peril". The New York Times. pp. 23–24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  13. ^ Larry E. Gobrecht (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Steinway House". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  14. ^ "Accompanying six photos". Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Barron, James (February 8, 2011). "Uncertain Coda for Mansion With a Musical Heritage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  16. ^ "Live In The Steinway Mansion For $2.5M". NBC New York. October 7, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  17. ^ TimesLedger, QNS (May 14, 2015). "Construction plans for Steinway Mansion site worries preservationist – QNS". QNS. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  18. ^ Polsky, Sara (April 18, 2013). "Astoria's Unsold Steinway Mansion Cuts Price – And Size". Curbed NY. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Parry, Bill (May 9, 2014). "Steinway Mansion sold to investors for $2.65 million". QNS. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  20. ^ Evelly, Jeanmarie (May 6, 2014). "Astoria's Historic Steinway Mansion Sells for $2.65M to 'Local Guys'". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  21. ^ Colangelo, Lisa L. (May 6, 2014). "Exclusive: Mystery duo purchases historic Steinway Mansion for $2.6 million". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  22. ^ Matua, Angela (March 2, 2016). "Historic Steinway Mansion in Astoria is now surrounded by commercial buildings". QNS. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  23. ^ "VB&G Club Of Queens Raises Over $150,000 At Gala". Queens Gazette. October 4, 2023.
  24. ^ Reif, Rita (October 6, 1969). "You Can't Go Home Again When the Old Mansion Is a Movie Set". The New York Times. p. 52. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 27, 2025.