And he had helped meyou know, while I had my own ideas for design, and whatever I thought of, he said, George, thats great. Well, do you know what your preferences are? Was very little time on here. And a lot of it got given away, got lost. And then I went through floor and room after room, and took almost five years to put the house in good shape, the way you could see it. And in the basement, I put the kitchen and a dining area and everything. She was great because she would know. And I dream that I heard some noise. That was a shame. And then upstairs was like a big balcony above that porch. Got a good price for a couple of other real estate pieces that I bought and fixed up and sold. But when he was in Europe, he rode. Burke: Oh, my nephew. Burke: Oh, its in beautiful condition because the guy I told you, Jimmy Pistilli, he had it landmarked. So while I used to work then with them, and then I decided, this is not for me. Were going to this estate. If you want to come, behave yourselves. Where were you stationed and what was it like? Yes, and I had bought the house, but I couldnt have the house and move in until she died. But thats what that was. When he came he got everything going. And in the summer, he sits outside, enjoys the outdoors, enjoys the lawn, the grounds. So that was the reason we chose to do a White Party. But down here, all the beautiful homes that were down here are gone. Obituary: George W. Burke October 07, 2021 George W. Burke, 63 George W. Burke, of Hull, died on Oct. 2. Because he lived right here, lived right here on Staten Island. What were the things that you did when you were young? And he was studying art and he painted my portrait that shell show you, thats upstairs. And that was the end of that. It was gorgeous and very ornatewas very, very much like Greek Revival. And I made a lot of money. Q: You mentioned that the South Shore has changed in the last few years. I put the post on it up under the floor where the newer posts in the staircase was upstairs, and then, when I took the jack away, it sat on the post. Most of them were little things. But the other house, one of his friends was pushed down the stairs. Daller: Oh, theOh God now, whats it called? By Carol Ann Benanti | benanti@siadvance.com STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's designated one of Staten Island's signature society events of the year, a. [laughs]. Q: So about this house, I wanted to ask about the Friends of the Seguine Mansion. Q: When you were youngwhen you were a kid. Those stables? And I always used to say, Wonder who lives there! and so forth and so on. So I went around and looked and looked and I said, You know, I could open a restaurant. And I walked around and I found a couple of nice places. Staten Island . So I moved into the front parlor room, there. In fact, he was just a few years older than I, and wasnt it last year we were trying to locate him? Burke: And all the others like it, well, I can remember, on the other side of the pond over there, going alongthe mansions that were over there. For example, could you tell what the original construction was? View the profiles of people named George Burke. Its a big plaque on it, its landmarked and everything. Daller: Well, he said, he felt that house had spirits in it. Luis was great. And the only problem with that was the kitchen was downstairs. And the last time I went there, there was all houses built in it. So it didnt matter. And I had the two apartments! You said you started with the basement. John T Burke passed away on April 22, 2015 in Whiting, NJ and is under the care of. But it only reached a certain point of it, not in the very beginning. Burke: Yes, there was a little man in New Jersey. And that painting of me, thats upstairs in my bedroomdid you ever see it? Daller: From Michael and Jennifer, your nephew. Because back when they built the houses, kitchens were never built in the house. I wanted to ask about the Equestrian Center. And while I was up there, I was sent up to work with Father Tom. And they were good investments. Okay. Yes, but it was weird. Restored the building, looked around, come down, bought this house from Mrs. Seguine, and then moved out of the bar and restaurantbecause I had a room upstairs in it. He was 63. They even stopped you riding in the parks. Q: Today is November 9, 2021. It would have been spectacular but greed set in, and thats what they did. And he saw the way to help out, and I said, well form a board and what well do is well continue to have fundraisers in order to support the house, but we need additional help and support as well. So I rented the apartment next door, and I broke a hole in the wall. Daller: Oh, thats exactlyI mean, because that was the reason for getting a board, was to also help get things done. I dont know what it is. It was a sweet sixteen Ill never forget. Q: I mean, I live in a small apartment, so what is it like to live in a kind of museum quality home? We all got coupons. Burke: I think that waswhod ya call-it got me involved with that. So I said, The hell with this. And she said, George, you have so much with design and such, I want you to take over the wallpaper department and the fabric department. I did fantastic for the store. Daller: See, now you learned about kitchens. Join Facebook to connect with George Burke and others you may know. Click here to view all obituaries Search Obituaries Contact Us / Location. He come over he looked at it. Like this chair that youre sitting in, these are Chippendale chairs in the Chinese style. And he said, Mom, Ill move in to the other part of the house. And I just got a call from all my lady friends saying that my house is falling apart. So I made sure it was filled in with dirt the rest of the way, so I wouldnt have that water getting in the basement. Because it was a big roof, like this, and then the gutters run around. Burke: the Historic House people did give me a big bronze plaque to put on the front of it. I traveled all over the world, traveled to Alaska, all over, with the military. Q: And you said that you restored the garden there too? And then, on the side of the house in the back, there was a little piece built out. So she said, Bess said, Were going to have to quit, George. I said Oh, shit. So we talked to our brother Bill and he had come up with the money, bought the house. Yes. So coming back to it was a change. They just went and just vandalized it to hell until there was nothing but a shell left. But the one that I remember was a great big brooch. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the Historic House Trust. And it was the most amazing party. Burke: She has it. Q: Okay. Burke: Sure. And finally their husbands were getting pissed at them, because they were never home, they were always here. And the whole big building used to be a big private home, and then they had made it into a restaurant. I would have saved it. But they hadnt been there, maybe five, six years, and I guess they decided, Oh! I bet shes there. And these roofs had big arches, like this. And a couple of my friends came as bartenders for me. And if theyre gonna make a museum out of it, theyre gonna have to pay somebody to greet people and take them on tours. Lookit, I saved the police station and the two buildings next to the police station. Youre coming with me. So Id say Okay, Murphy, lets go! She was something, I mean. And then I decided Id get involved again with things that are going on. Put through the years, people recognized it and everything. George W. Burke, age 63, of Hull, entered into eternal rest on October 2, 2021. Q: Yes. And we recognized Mario at the event. Burke: Well, Ill tell you, there wasnt that much in storagethe stuff that was in storage wasnt big pieces, maybe one or two. George Burke. I mean, its just normal living in a normal house. I knew what she looked like, I knew where it was. The Old Bermuda Inn. I was an interior designer. And my brother Bill and my brother Ed decided to go into an automobile repair shop. They are Chinese Chippendale. Oh, they loved me. And I was always a horse person. Because I wanted the man that built the house, and this is the man that saved the house. Because thats what I bought with the money. And in the back of the house, its still there, is aChrist, it must be half the size of this roomis a huge, huge lilac bush. So my mother decided she would make it into a two-family, and rent out one part of it. But that was a condo. They bought a house. While stationed in England, he studied interior design and architectural history and began to collect antiques through estate sales and flea markets, focusing on ceramics, paintings, light fixtures, and many other decorative items from the Victorian era. Well, what are we talking about? When I bought the house, the real estate people, they wouldnt go in. That wasyou probably dont rememberthere was this great big factory right down here, built on the beach. Thats whats in this whole house, all the things you see. 174 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075Phone: (212) 988-8379 | Fax: (212) 537-5571Contact Us: info@nypap.org. Prince Edward Island. Daller: Well, yes. Daller: It was like, we cant even find him anymore. Im only a salesman in a department store. I said, and its going to take a lot of money to put that house back together. She said, Well, Im going to help you all I can. And I said, But why would I fix a house I didnt own? And she said, Well, why dont we talk about that. She said, If youre interested in buying it, I will make the arrangements that you can own it. Burke: So, my sister Marge, and my sister Bess, would come over and help me. So I said to her, I said Bess, the only thing Ill save your house is a bulldozer! Im gonna save it, its a gorgeous house!. Wantagh, Seaford . Burke: Okay. Yes, of course, they could eat all the grass. And I looked back, you could hardly see the house. Burke: Yes. So Id go over there and, of course, Bess Seguine was always over there. Its still that way. Up until a year ago, he was still cutting the lawn! It doesnt happen on the North Shore because were very condensed and its a dense population. Burke: Scalia. But I dreamt it and I knew every single thing about it. Burke: Theyll come in, but youll have to have somebody as a guide. I dont need The Death of Cleopatra hanging above my fireplace. I mean, these little gold chairs, are Victorianthats a Victorian chaireverything is really Victorian. Ill do that. So that was over in Port Richmondits still there, I understand, the store. It feels like home, because thats what its been. If you lived in Alaska, where it was always cold, it was fine. And, minute he bought the house, did a little work in it, put it right up for sale. Burke: And its great when you have friends come, you have extra bedrooms, you can put them all up. See Photos. If you were at the water looking up here, you couldnt see the house. Burke: Hawaii. Theyre deciding they want to build, so they tear down and build. Brother Celestine George Burke, an educator who was a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for 63 years, died on Thursday at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J. . I mean, Captains Quarters, instead of building all those condos down there, it would have been beautiful to have another stately home there. That poor horse. Burke: Yes, I had to go down in the basement, and put a post, and then I had to jack up the stairs. And he dealed in antique rugs, and regular rugs and everything. Q: No, that covers it! Do you remember that? The beloved husband of Rosanna (Ialuna) Burke, he was the devoted father of Matthew I. Burke, Jason L. Burke, and Georgina P. Burke, all of Hull. I mean, this was just a farmhouse. Copyright 1998 2023 New York Preservation Archive Project. And he said, George, Im selling my business. Burke: I never lived in a little small house, I have no idea. Im gonna save this house. In Europe, he felt like he had been. The Greek Revival house is one of the few surviving examples of 19th Century life on Staten Island. So I took that out of the brick and I got some cement, put it all back in, put the wall back up. Oh, God, it was gorgeous. And I took that room and made it into the dining room. And I had a beautiful restaurant and a bar connected to it. Daller: No. So I still had to get up every day and go to work. Q: Yes, absolutely. But anyway, she said, Im not going in the house. And when they got level, he screamed, Okay, George, theyre level, theyre level! And then I put a big postI put a big cement thing on the floor. Of course, when I bought the house, that was all weeds growing up among the bricks. Daller: Its life estate that he has. And then the people that moved out left a bunch of old furniture, and these were the two that they left. And that went for years. Burke: One was a necklace with a heart on it. Beloved husband of Rosanna (Ialuna) Burke. Burke: But anyway, when my time was up in the service, they shipped me back here to, Burke: Alaska, and I stayed in Alaska. And I was the assistant to the general who was the surgeon for the European Command. Christ, we had a good time. Daller: Well, you did at a certain point, because you have a lot of photos. Q: So those things that you got later on, afterthey didnt come from Europe. So I went down and I just went around and everything I seenall the stuff you see hanging in this house, most of it come from me going around and wheeling and dealing in, you might as well say, the black market. Of course, I went to school here. And then when you could see the house, it was a goddamn mess. But the problem is, its so limited on Staten Island. What the woman who was caretaking her, what she had to do was constantly keep lilacs next to the bed. Daller: No, I dont. Q: Right. And then, on the third floor, which was in the mansard roof, that was all the servants quarters. And think about it. And the porch went all like this, around the house. If it wasnt for Mrs. Mackey across the street telling me about the funeral, I would have never known. I mean, how did you decide what to purchase, what to collect? Sure, Id no idea of ever owning his house because I had a beautiful big house in Tottenvillebig French style house. Its Meissen. She lived up on Lighthouse Hill. Daller: Well, they hope to. Well, on theon the fireplace there, those two big candelabras, theyre Meissen. They tore down those two nice little cottages that were there. Daller: I mean, that big wrap-around porch that went all the way around the house. Burke: years ago, because I couldnt afford to keep it. There was nine of us in the whole family. According to the funeral home, the following services have. But thats part of whats been going on down here. More beautiful than peoples houses. That was gorgeous. Isnt that a huge house theyre building, you told me? So whenever the big surgeons traveled, I always traveled with themtraveled all over Europe. 6389 Amboy Road. Q: The Friends of the Seguine Mansionthe friends group. And I had beautiful big pieces of Meissen that I got when I was in Germany, and it all went here and there andI cant get it back. So I would go to the flea markets and things. And I said, Oh, shit. And I got these. And they did. I had all the walls done. Q: Yes. Q: The stuff that you got in England, from Mrs. Murphy. Dont forget I, for yearsin London, I went to university. And it never had a kitchen. And Diane said, Oh, Marian has it.. So as long as I own it, I own it, theyll pay for it. Dont remember what happened to it, right? And the fact that somebody could save a house like this, and want to show it to people, and let people hear about the history behind it? Thats ittheres no more of them. My father was in the political-end, and he was in Borough Hall and everything like that. So I said, Well, I would have named it The Rossville Inn because it was in Rossville, but he will he loved Bermuda and he wanted Bermuda Inn. So I said, Yes, John, well call it the Old Bermuda Inn. Daller: Because you might remember, he was away for so many years. And they said, Well, we cant handle it, George. And I never had timesometimes Id be sleeping on the pool table there because I just couldnt leave! You can retire. And Id go downtown and Id wheel and deal for a bottle of whiskey. So that makes sense. Im going to retire, Im going to go down to that big old house, restore it, fix it all up, move in it, and enjoy it. So its a shame. Q: Was it Mario that suggested the life tenancy agreement? So when I got it, of course, the old kitchen was inI had knocked it down because it was all falling apart. Lots of photos, costs, everything. And he kept up with him, up until the time Mario passed away. Half the railings were gone off the porch, and the column was falling over, and, oh, Jesus. And thats where I had all this wonderful carved stuff from the Eskimos that they gave me. Cohasset crypto case: Everything court documents reveal. She came and did a lot for the draperies and everything here. Daller: And he formed the board in order to support the house. Its still there, you can see it. Big fluted columns with big Corinthian capitals on them. Death and Obituary Indexes from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library includes: Buffalo Deaths, 1882-1892; Death Notices and Obituaries in the Buffalo News, 4-22-2009 to 2010; Index to Births, Marriages, and Deaths found in select Buffalo and Erie County Publications, 1870s-1950; some cemetery burial records; and other items. Burke: Oh, it was all overgrown with undergrowth. And thats what they were doing in France to keep from getting it taxed. Q: So its budgets and the contractors, all that stuff. And she was laying with her arms, like that. Interviewing George Burke, and. I have no idea what it would be like to live in some other place. He upholstered that chair with the things in the back. But what she did is she sold off parcel after parcel in order for her to live here in the house because she had no income. Id come back up and I could still smell it in the hallway. 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