By Bill Parry
The mystery investors who paid $2.65 million for the historic Steinway Mansion last week may prove to be the best-case scenario for Astoria.
“I met these guys,” City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) said. “I didn’t check their birth certificates, but they represent themselves as born-and-raised members of the community who are looking to do the right thing.”
The buyers are listed as Steinway Mansion LCC, according to Lauren Cornea of Amorelli Realty, one of the co-listing agents in the sale. She partnered with Paul and Christina Halvatis to do what Douglas Elliman and Sotheby’s could not do since the house went on the market in 2010: find a buyer for the landmarked home at 18-33 41st St.
“We’re very proud to be able to procure a deal for the mansion,” Cornea said. “The building’s exterior is landmarked at the highest level and it cannot be torn down.”
The new owners plan to restore the 27-room mansion and work with elected officials to find a useful way to return it to the fabric of the community, according to Constantinides.
“It’s early and, of course, nothing is set in stone, but I get the feeling they really want to work with Astoria to re-establish the mansion as a museum, a cultural center or a community center,” he said. “No nightclub or disco, no catering hall or restaurant. I feel better about where we are right now.”
Bob Singleton, president of the Greater Astoria Historical Society, a group that traces its roots to the Steinway Mansion in the early 1980s, holding their meetings in the home, was let down when he heard of the sale. As leader of The Friends of Steinway Mansion, Singleton had hoped to raise $5 million to buy the mansion and restore it for the use of the community.
“We’re disappointed that we weren’t able to acquire the mansion at this time,” he said. “We had a lot of support and the specific talent to restore the mansion properly. The Friends has every intention of continuing forward.”
Singleton said his group would be amenable to playing a significant role in the mansion’s future.
“We’re very much interested in programs that celebrate the community’s heritage, ideas that we could explore, the traditions of arts and artisans and have the opportunity to teach those disciplines to the youth of tomorrow,” Singleton said. “The Friends are certainly the best party to play that role because of the work we’ve done in trying to put together a focus for the mansion.”
Built in 1858, the building was purchased by William Steinway, of the legendary piano-making family, in 1870. The Halberian family bought the property in 1927. Michael Halberian lived in the home his entire life until he died in 2010.
His daughter, Michele Kazarian, became the executor of the estate and quickly became frustrated with the process of selling the Steinway Mansion.
“Everyone has an opinion and you get pulled in every direction,” she said in March. “It’s been a very difficult time for me and my family, but yes, there is a buyer. We wanted to sell it to the city for the longest time, but we just had to move on.”
After the $2.65 million deal was finalized with Steinway Mansion LLC, Kazarian said, “I don’t have much to say other than it’s sold. It’s a passing.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
