From the NY Post:
NYC-area Mafia mansions struggle to sell — for 1 reason you may not suspect
Mob wife is having a fashion moment. In real estate, it seems like many potential buyers don’t see the aesthetic as their own.
In and around New York — from Staten Island to Long Island to Fort Lee — once‑infamous homes tied to Mafia figures have lingered for years on the market.
The culprit isn’t the organized crime-world stigma — it’s the highly customized weight of their over-the-top finishes, idiosyncratic layouts and marble-heavy excess. To make them viable again, many must be gutted, refreshed or rebuilt entirely.
Take late Gambino family crime boss Paul “Big Paul” Castellano’s Staten Island stronghold at 177 Benedict Road in Todt Hill. It was listed for $18 million, which would have broken borough sales records if it traded hands for that sum — but this week, it exited the market with no takers.
This 33,000-square-foot palace, perched on roughly 1.7 acres with sweeping Verrazzano Bridge views, comes loaded with amenities: indoor and outdoor Olympic-sized pools, 13-car showroom garage, home theater, gym with a sauna, beauty salon, wine cellar, a solarium and then some.
Castellano, who was gunned down by John Gotti’s men in 1985 outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan, had the residence designed to resemble the White House, with a pillared portico and circular drive.
Originally listed in October 2023 for $16.8 million, it fell out of contract, was removed from the market, then reappeared in October 2024 at $18 million — only to be pulled again days ago.
“There are no other homes in that area or all of Staten Island priced that much,” Tom Le, who sold the recent record-breaking $8.5 million home across the street, told The Post.
