And its three little girls sitting on a bench with big baskets of flowers in front of them. Daller: Thats been acquired over the years. You are to get out. Is there anything else that you would like to add about the house as it is now, the history, or the future of the house? And we were great gardeners and she had always come over in the spring, and she gave me little cuttings of all the flowers, and the different things. So by the time he came back, all this had changed. Daller: Thats a story you should share, about the lilacs and the lady. And I went in and I noticed my big box was gone. And I renovated the bar, I renovated the other side, my two sisters came to work for me, running the kitchen and the dining room. Finally, I think his wife got sick with that lung disease, didnt she? I had a dream thatin my dream, I woke up and I was laying in bed upstairs, and I could smell lilacs. Daller: Well, you got involved with Burkes Landing with Scalia. Theres a ghost in there. And I said, Well, I dont believe in ghosts. 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. And because of that, and especially the interior design thing, I went around, did little jobs, and did things, and because I learned so much by going to that to school there, that when I got back here, I got nice little jobs here and there. You werent on Staten Island. But not long ago, I was talking about it. I went around and I got it and shipped it all back home. Burke: I think, what was left of it, the sons moved to California and they opened up a Scalamandr in California. Daller: You werent here. Then she got to the point where she couldnt keep it anymore. Eric. Come here, Marge. I said, What? They said, Sell this goddamn place. There was nine of us in the whole family. Viewing times and guestbooks can be found here . And Id go in and Id buy all the liquor with those stamps. Staten Island, Richmond County, NY Genealogy Site - Staten Island Recent Obituaries According to the funeral home, the following services have. So I run downstairs. But they are the ones thatup in arms, saying, Aww, that poor horse. These are those Persian carpets. He was always at the stables there. You made enough money. Q: And so, what sort of vision do you have for, you know, the next the next forty years, for how the grounds are maintained and how. Daller: The stables. No, it wasnt that. I think hes given you a great history of what started and, basically, youve talked about his life from the beginning, so, I dont know. Burke: Yes. Half the railings were gone off the porch, and the column was falling over, and, oh, Jesus. And thats where she was. She said, You saw her in your dream. I said, Holy shit, I said, you think that was her? She said, It could have been her. I said, Then she went like that and chased me out of her house. She said, That was her. But, Q: Let me ask you some more about the items that you collected when you were. Daller: So can you imagine a three room apartment filled to the brim with antiques? Im always doing something. We have a choice in having a caretaker come in also to maintain it. I said I was the only person at that timemy uncle gave me my sweet sixteen there, and all my friends were invited to come formal. Wed go down through the junk yards and whatnot. George Burke is one of these dedicated keepers: He minds the Seguine Mansion, which he bought in 1981. In fact, her husband was a big-wig. Thats the only way to explain it. Because you never finish, youre always finding something to do. When I bought the house, the real estate people, they wouldnt go in. And all these houses would never here! And you can ask[gesturing to Daller], Daller: Everybody got something. It was under your bunk. Now the little girl had to be moved to Wall Street. Put through the years, people recognized it and everything. Burke: It was. Scarpaci Funeral Home of Staten Island LLC. And there was French doors that went out from the basement under the porch. Then I decided, well, Im going to get myself a nice apartment. Because it was a big roof, like this, and then the gutters run around. Burke: Of course, Id been in Alaska for all that time. Because Evelyn didnt like the house, his wife. I moved in the house, and I would come in the house, and right in the front hallway, you could always smell lilacs. Yes, he helped me with the colors, and this and that, and what I should getgood orientals for the floor, which I had but they werent these. And in order to have food and such, youd have to bring it up the back stairs. WHEN George Burke was growing up on Staten Island in the 1930s and '40s, he used to ride horses with a pair of sisters, Elizabeth and Belle Seguine. Copyright 1998 2023 New York Preservation Archive Project. I bet I left the cellar door open under the stairwell, from the basement, and I bet thats the soap Ive got in the washing machine that smells like that. Because I certainlyI never passed up a bargain. Lots of photos, costs, everything. I wanted to ask about the Equestrian Center. And then, where they built the schoolwhat is that girls school up here? John T Burke passed away on April 22, 2015 in Whiting, NJ and is under the care of. So they. Born in the Province of Pola, Italy, "George" settled in the Bronx. And thats what I called out for was help. I hope it isnt that the people who have access come in and empty it because Ive had people say, Oh, when youre not here, Im taking that painting, and Im taking that painting, and I want that couch, you know. I think so. Thats what I was. I have no idea what it would be like to live in some other place. Daller: No. Q: Yes, you can tell me about your early life and the memories you have of growing up here. Q: Yes. And Id go downtown and Id wheel and deal for a bottle of whiskey. Soon, nobody had room in their house to store anymore of my stuff. When they shipped me back from where I was, where the Eskimos were, they sent me back to the base, because they were shipping everybody now, backafter your time was up, you had to go back because you couldnt stay any longer than two years, and after two years, you had to come back to the States. Did quite well. So here I was with all this stuff, sending it home to my family, sending it to my sisters. And I invested in a couple of things. Of course, she loved the smell of lilacs. Burke: One was a necklace with a heart on it. Burke: Well, look at the mansion! Was her name Mackey? And we had our barracks, of course, and having your barracks, the only thing you had was a big trunk where you kept all your clothes in. And the people that lived there, they got a little too old to stay there. Daller: And he uses every room, he doesnt sit in one room. You said you started with the basement. More beautiful than peoples houses. So I gave it to them. Q: Can you tell me about moving the collections here, out of storage and out of your sisters houses into this house? 06/26/1943 - 02/20/2023. People that owned U.S. Steel, their mansion was over there. Im sorry that, during all that construction, I wasnt taking photographs, of step by step. And that way, it wouldnt burn the houses down. And then upstairs was like a big balcony above that porch. And I, throughout the time, I went from room to room in the house and restored it. And no ones going to be able to talk about it, and point things out, and say where it came from, or whats the history behind it. Burke: But everything will stay here exactly as it is, because if its going to be a museum, people are not going to come in and look at empty walls. So whenever the big surgeons traveled, I always traveled with themtraveled all over Europe. Burke: But anyway, it was a big beautiful cameo brooch, and was wrapped in an oil cloth rag! Daller: But thats how he [referring to the painting of Mr. Seguine] came back to the house. So I said, Well, Bess, if youre interested in doing it, Im interested in doing it.. And if theyre gonna make a museum out of it, theyre gonna have to pay somebody to greet people and take them on tours. It wasnt fair to him to keep paying for it. Burke: Mario Buatta and a couple of people of his friends that were just as big. And he did the big sofa in there, didnt he? There isnt a room he doesnt go into. And that was a couple people from Tottenville, caused all that. Funeral homes; Help and . And Bill moved in, and he stayed there for quite a while. And that was the Air Force. Valhalla. Burke: Oh, my nephew. And the only problem with that was the kitchen was downstairs. All the grounds, the stables, everythingthey cant change a thing. And, well, lets face it, they never had any hot water over there at all. But, God, that was almost 100 years ago, you know? But it only reached a certain point of it, not in the very beginning. My sisterher mother [indicates Daller], Francesmy sister living in the Bronx, she got me a little apartment and she got me a job working for Saks Fifth Avenue. And you would have been taxed in this country if it was already like that. Burke: And its great when you have friends come, you have extra bedrooms, you can put them all up. So I moved into the house here. So she said, Bess said, Were going to have to quit, George. I said Oh, shit. February 26, 2023 (70 years old) View obituary. She would say, The lilacs still in the front hall? And Id say, Oh, is that what that smell is? Everybody smelled like 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 went to boot camp, I loved it. And I had a beautiful restaurant and a bar connected to it. Q: and Linda Daller for the New York Preservation Archive Project. Its a real pretty smell. She said, Yes, its lilacs. She said Mrs. Whatever-her-name-was always had to have lilacs. Now theyre worth a couple hundred-dollars apiece. Staten Island and the South Shore is the only place where people can still move, be in a country feeling, and build what they want to build, and have a garden and have a lawn and, you know, they can be in the country and still be in the city. And I took that room and made it into the dining room. Burke: After I had the house, then I got the big pieces of furniture. And as you see it today was from me doing all those little things. So my mother decided she would make it into a two-family, and rent out one part of it. Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York, Kings, Long Island, and New Jersey (718) 966-7800 Daller: You met some interesting people there. And when I seen it all over there, and when I seen the British people were poor as church mice, they were selling everything. And I saved quite a bit of money. And thats what I did. Ill make you the drapes. The drapes are still up there. Lets move out, youre being kicked out anyway, the house is sold. All went into the landfill. Too bad that there wasnt somebody with a brain. So I would go to the flea markets and things. Casey Funeral Home Kathleen Burke, age 78 passed away at Richmond University Medical Center after a brief illness on January 26, 2023. 174 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075Phone: (212) 988-8379 | Fax: (212) 537-5571Contact Us: info@nypap.org. So it shows you that you have a friend forever. And my fatherwe were quite wealthy, growing up. Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MDT . I mean, after it was finished, who cared? It was his first time off of Staten Island. Its no different from home. 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. Daller: Well, remember how much it took to paint the whole house, and how you had to paint sections of it? All rights reserved. Daller: No. And Ill see to it that, financially, things work out for the two of us. Would you just sell me two acres there? The stables, everything has to remain the same. I loved Alaska. But the problem is, its so limited on Staten Island. But she used to wear three, four dresses and she smelled like an old goat! Formal gardens, stablesstables that you could live in. Daller: And that house was beautiful. Id love that old house. I said, But Bess, I said your houseI dont know about saving it. And that was only one of them. Isnt that a huge house theyre building, you told me? Well, Bess, and my brothers wife, Evelyn, never got along. Q: When you were youngwhen you were a kid. On a goddamn pillared mattress sleeping? And if you went around with Mario Buatta, that was like going with the President of the United States. Daller: Oh, yes. The woodwork, the moldings, the parquet floors. Burke: Oh, well, look what I did. Take a walk. I said, No, no, Im gonna save this house. He said, Oh! Frank Tredici Jr., age 79, of Staten Island, New York, passed away on Monday, February 20th, 2023. Because the water was in the basement for so many years, all the dampness had lifted all the floorboards and everything, and so I had to dry the house out, and replaster the walls. Q: Today is November 9, 2021. They couldnt. We were doing other parties at the time, the only thing we still maintain is the White Party. And he had helped meyou know, while I had my own ideas for design, and whatever I thought of, he said, George, thats great. I mean, how did you decide what to purchase, what to collect? He was in the Air Force. Who Where Receive obituaries Yenula Hennaka February 24, 2023 And they said, Well, we cant handle it, George. Burke: Yes. Staten Island, Richmond County, NY Genealogy Site - Staten Island Recent Obituaries Yes. And then Iwhatd I do then, Ioh, I paid for this house, didnt I? Burke: Oh, I forgot about that. And my sister, Bess, she was married to Walter, her husband, who was in the Navy. I cant think ofdoesnt matter, the name of the people. Then upstairs, was all the bedrooms. And I had more bargains from Mrs. Murphy. The son and his wife took over Scalamandr. But unfortunately, all the stuff up there was cured by urine. I got one or two things out of it. Get out. Theres a bunch of little houses now built all along through their gardens. So its a shame. . Luis was great. Burke: I went and I was stationed in England, and I loved being in England. So, unfortunately, there arent many people that care that way anymore. What the woman who was caretaking her, what she had to do was constantly keep lilacs next to the bed. Oh, God, I worked so damn hard. Thats ittheres no more of them. Thats what I wanted. Daller: See, now you learned about kitchens. Burke: Mario Buatta got me into all of that. That was a shame. And finally, we met with John Krawchuk, when he became in office. Now what are you going to do with this? But I still have a lot of it. Youre working too hard. Theres too much business going on here. So were talking about this and talking about this. Q: So those things that you got later on, afterthey didnt come from Europe. But when they were building houses, if you had a third story, your taxes went out of sight! Its still there, the framework of it, with the brick. You know, he just passed away. All Rights Reserved, Town Departments at Work: The role of each part of your local government. Help NYPAP document and celebrate NYCs preservation movement. Yes. Burke: What its been like for you to live here. But things that, well, were thatyou needed carpenters that knew, that were good carpenters. Daller: He did the sofa upstairs as well. Q: Your collection of the items that you bought from Mrs. Murphy. Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY June 26, 1943. Daller: Well, no, Mrs. Seguine allowed him to buy, Burke: No, I already had this house from the first deal. Burke: Well, I knew how to do it. She said shell keep the doors locked and call Linda if anybody wants to get in and take anything out. Im no bulldozer!. Everything has to be environmentally done properly, so by the time you figure it out, youre spending more money, when youre making no money because you have no horses. 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. They tore down those two nice little cottages that were there. Wantagh, Seaford . Then, on that side, was the dining room, and the kitchen. And if they only would have remained, they would have been a part of it, and everything could have been fully appreciated. That was the mansion. They really dont know what history is all about. As a young adult, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in the medical department, spending time in locations across Europe and Alaska. And he said, Mom, Ill move in to the other part of the house. And he said, George, you know, that big, beautiful house that sits empty? 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. They were all along the waterfront here. But that was a big improvement, putting in the kitchen, because there never was a kitchen in the houseand where the kitchen is now, that was the laundry room. Thats the only thing in the house left from the Seguines. And I could turn the horses loose and theyd keep all the fields cut and mowed, you know? And I had to laugh. And if they were there and I could see them, and I could ship them free because the government had to ship it for me, and I had my sisters, who would store them for meI had had a great opportunity to pick up all this stuff that was beautiful, get it for nothing, and the government ship it back for me, and my sisters would keep it until I got a place to put it. And I took that for years. Burke: But anyway, when my time was up in the service, they shipped me back here to, Burke: Alaska, and I stayed in Alaska. So thats my uncles hope for it as well. And on top of that, I still worked for Sherwin Williams. Yes, of course, they could eat all the grass. Most of the furniture thats hereI never furnished the house until I owned it. Q: So well have audio recording and a transcript for researchersand Ill remove those names that you mentioned, Linda. You know, everybody grew up together. Stony Brook. I cant remember her name. And I would just would go around and Id just pick stuff up. When I was over there looking at their house. Q: I mean, I live in a small apartment, so what is it like to live in a kind of museum quality home? If it wasnt for Mrs. Mackey across the street telling me about the funeral, I would have never known. I need to get someone in to do a good cleaning on the house, someone to take care of maintaining it. Burke: Yes. And the house across the street from it, the Old [Sir Walter] Tyrrell House. Unfortunately, all the grounds areI dont even know if the house is there anymore! Interviewing George Burke, and. And I only have so much money being what I am. So he said, Dont worry about it. He said, What in the hell youre buying this old piece of shit for? He said, Is it insured? I said, Yes, I took big insurance on it. He said, Good. Christ, we had a good time. Daller: Stating that it is part of it part of Historic House. In fact, my mother worked there. Utica. Well, the paintings and the small stuff like thatthat like that mirror and those paintings and all that stuffthat was all the little stuff. Then I was down in Florida for a while and Im wondering, Well, what in the hell am I going to do in Florida? What was I? I dont know what the hell Ill do if you do that. And after he died the family still lived like we had my fathers money involved. Burke: The only thing is, the house will be closed. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Staten Island, New York on facebook. But I had all this beautiful carved stuff. 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. I want to go back and ask for some more details about your childhood. Where all the servants lived. Burke: Yes. Unfortunately, you got to find environmentalists, theyve got to look for things and theyve got to point things out. And its more expensive to keep her horses there than it was here. And all the time when all the lilacs would come in the spring, and the whole place would smell of lilacs, its gorgeous, still is. He come over he looked at it. My father was in the political-end, and he was in Borough Hall and everything like that. I dont want you in this house. And in the basement, I put the kitchen and a dining area and everything. I could make another funeral parlor out of that. And I said, No, lets not make a funeral parlor. And it was twice the size of this house. 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. . Im joining the Air Force. So I went out and I joined the United States Air Force of course. And she had this woman who was a caretaker. That wasyou probably dont rememberthere was this great big factory right down here, built on the beach. 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. It was piled up in their basement. Burke: Sure. Q: [Laughs] Yes. I probably gave it to Bess. One woman wouldnt go it, cant think of her name. And the backyard is beautiful. You couldnt see the grounds through the trees and it was just covered and everything. So then I said, well, what the hell am I gonna do? Wow, what a great place. I said, now here you are, the woman we always wondered about, asking me if Im interested in saving that house? I forgottheres ten acres that is landmarked now. She said, George, when she died, she was laid out in the coffin, right in that room, in front of those two windows. I know everything, what to do. I bought those buildings. So she finally died. What a gorgeous home that was. But down here, all the beautiful homes that were down here are gone. Before he left, the house was fine. And I took interior design and the history of architecture, and something else. He was an antiquehe had a big rug business in. So I went around to all the nursesof course, I was in the medical departmentand I asked all the nurses, What are you doing with your stamps? There was the main house, over here was the bar, over here was this big dining room, and this was the main house. That was a shame. Theyre getting rid of everything! 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[laughs] But, itll be here. So I went up with Father Tom and I had to take care of all those Eskimos, if any of them got sick or hurt this or that. Burke: So, in other words, fifty years from now, if someone wants to learn about the house, they can find out. Good God! So they built it like an attic and it was called an attic but it was a whole complete story.