The headquarters of famous mafiosi are not selling? New York has a problem

Mansions that once belonged to famous New York gangsters have been on the “for sale” notice board for years. There is a shortage of buyers and, surprisingly, it is not due to the fact that someone was tortured in the basement or was used temporarily to store suspected weapons.

Real estate agents expected that it was this dark history of the houses that would attract buyers. However, mafia residences are in their portfolio. As it turns out, the main reason is… the taste of the previous owners.

Such an example is the huge mansion on Staten Island in the Todt Hill district built by the head of the Gambino family Paul “Big Paul” Castellano. The headquarters with a facade resembling the White House, with an area of ​​3,000 m2. square meters (i.e. a little less than half of a regular football pitch) stands on a 1.7-are plot. The equipment includes, among others: two Olympic-sized swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), garage for 13 cars, home cinema, gym with sauna, wine cellar and solarium. So what's the problem? According to interior experts, it is not very beautifulwhich can be briefly described as “intrusive splendor”.

Customers currently like elegant finishes that are not exaggerated, and which they can adjust with accessories to their own taste – admits real estate agent Serhant Peter Zaitzeff in the Daily Mail.

Castellano had the house built in 1976. His vision was completed four years later. At that time, American prosecutors filed numerous lawsuits against him, including: about tax fraud and robbery. There was no conviction in any of them. He lived there until his death in 1985, when John Gotti had him shot by four men wearing black Russian fur hats outside the Sparks Steak House restaurant in Manhattan.

Despite the price of $18 million, the house remained unsold for a long time. It has now been withdrawn from the market. This procedure was repeated several times.

Moreover, the daughter of the person who ordered the murder of Castellano, Victoria Gotti, also lives in a mansion in Old Westbury. Since participating in the reality show “Growing Up Gotti”, she has only deteriorated. In 2022, it was taken over by the bank after the daughter was unable to repay the mortgage. Over the next few years, it appeared and disappeared from the market, until finally in 2024 it was sold for $1.1 million – obviously well below its value for a house with five rooms and an area of ​​560 square meters on almost 2 ares of land.

The leader of the New York crime family, John Joseph Gotti, personally selected the marble floors and gold chandeliers throughout the house. There is a staircase leading to the first floor that could be transported to Versailles. Now it is the main goal of urbex explorers, which involves exploring abandoned, inaccessible or closed places. They record videos of their trips, including from a secret room behind a built-in bookcase.

Jeffrey Epstein's New York tenement house did no better on the market. With its gaudy interior design, it was sold for a fraction of its value due to its past. His Palm Beach residence was demolished. Even the address is about to change.

“Al Capone” sold well. The famous gangster, although he operated mainly in Chicago, grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The historic brick tenement house in which he lived was in such poor condition that a thorough renovation was necessary. The interior was also rebuilt in one fell swoop, adding a modern dining room and living room, a kitchen suitable for chefs, and a garden. In total, the building has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The offer hit the market for $6.25 million and went to a private buyer for $5.95 million.

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