Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [3] He was determined to build a fireproof building, so he had his architects, Delano and Aldrich, design it in steel and concrete, making it one of the first totally fireproof residential buildings. They just shot him. OHEKA CASTLE | Reception Venues - The Knot Modern Minimalist by Vera Wang Beloved Floral - Red Elegant Glow - Blue Woodbury Wedding Venues OHEKA CASTLE 4.8 ( 32) 135 West Gate Drive, Serving NYC and LI, NY Call About This Vendor A Royal Estate of Affairs Oheka Castle is one of Long Island's most exclusive hotels, located in Huntington, N.Y. The owner of Oheka Castle, Gary Melius, was gunned down in his car, authorities said, by a suspect who may have been wearing a mask. In recent weeks, Melius spoke with law enforcement authorities investigating political corruption, the source said. It's especially popular as a wedding venue and a filming location for a number of movies and TV shows including the hit HBO series Succession. (Christie M. Farriella for New York Daily News). A year earlier, Melius had defaulted on the loan. Its later years were, unfortunately, less glamourous. The FBI has also offered assistance, an agency spokesperson tells the Press. It began with hauling out 300 trailer trucks worth of trash over the first six months of repairs. "I not only don't know -- I can't think of why anybody who would kill me," Melius said. Cops believe the black sedan was the lookout car, Newsday's sources said. [8] They were unable to sustain the property themselves, so Melius reacquired it under a long-term lease and later re-purchased the estate, operating it as a weddings and events venue, luxury hotel and conference center.[9]. Oheka is the second largest private residence in America with 109,000 square feet. Roughly 222 new windows and doors as well as 4,000 new roof slates were purchased during the first years of Oheka Castle's renovations. Think "haunted houses on Long Island" and the "Amityville Horror" house, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six family members in 1974, is sure to be among the top ones that come to mind. He told them he has no idea who tried to kill him, and there are no known witnesses. Mevorach asked. Oheka Castle also been seen as a backdrop in a number of movies, including "Citizen Kane," television shows and magazine photo shoots, and it has been used for high-profile political events and fundraisers. Suffolk County Police declined to comment on the video surveillance Thursday. Visitors were greeted by a long driveway lined with manicured red cedar trees that led you into the property. And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: Thirty-four miles outside of bustling New York City stands the luxurious Oheka Castle, a century-old mansion that was once the second-largest private residence in the United States. Melius, who was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, has long been involved with the Democratic, Republican and Independence parties, contributing more than $800,000 total to the three parties since 1999, according to state records. A lone masked shooter blasted through the car window and struck the 69-year-old in the head before speeding away, reportedly in a Jeep Cherokee. Did a Long Island wedding lead to an attempted murder in Florida? Gary Melius adopted him. NY - Attempted murder of Long Island hotelier Gary Melius, 24 Feb 2014 "He said he had evidence of witness tampering and other crimes," the source said. The property was also the site of Kahn's daughter's wedding, which became the first of many wedding ceremonies hosted at Oheka Castle. Long Island hotelier Gary Melius, 69, shot in the head at point-blank range outside his $30m Oheka Castle on Monday. The property cost owner Otto Hermann Kahn a total of $11 million. Was it related to politics, as one source with close ties to Melius who did not want his name used adamantly tells the Press? Link to logo, AAA Four Diamond Award Logo, Link to logo, Historic Hotels Worldwide Logo. In 1948, Eastern Military Academy purchased the castle and 23 acres (9.3ha) of its property, bulldozed the gardens and subdivided the rooms. But the estate was no longer the playground for the rich and famous it once was. A look at the beautiful reflective pools inside the formal garden. The whole thing is awful, Jacobs told the Press shortly after the shooting. As a family-owned business it is my personal goal to ensure that everyone who enters the gates of OHEKA feels like a welcome guest, whether you are attending a wedding, staying in one of our guest rooms, joining us for dinner, or going on an Historic Mansion Tour. Everyone from highly-esteemed diplomats to famous film stars attended the lavish events. Oheka Castle, which is also a hotel offering $1,095-a-night . The Gatsby Suite, pictured here, is a nod to the hotel's alleged ties to, Kahn famously hosted extravagant parties at his summer estate. Gary Melius exited a side door of his palatial mansion estate and entered his Mercedes-Benz parked in its back courtyard. Throughout the years Melius has been impartial in his campaign contributions, doling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians without party preference, according to state finance records. For the next four years, the building remained empty, during which time over 100 documented arson attempts occurred, all of which the building survived, demonstrating Kahn's success in building a fireproof building. Melius's friends are just amazed at his resilience. It was finally abandoned in 1980 and stood forgotten for years. It became a hotel that has hosted celebrity weddings. Views of the garden from the hotel's restaurant. According to sources cited by the newspaper, security footage shows a black sedan pulling into the valet area - followed by a Jeep Cherokee. "I don't know if you ever can ever get your reputation back," Melius said. By 2003 he was its rightful owner again, having bought it back for $30 million and spending almost an equal amount over the years on its upkeep and restoration. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. What is The Best Japanese Restaurant on Long Island? Hed make his case that the two major parties had failed the republic and then move on. The owner of Oheka Castle, Gary Melius, was gunned down in his car, authorities said, by a suspect who may have been wearing a mask. "But I cannot imagine this would have anything to do with political disputes. This is the library at Oheka Castle which includes a secret passageway behind one of the bookshelves. ", "MrBeast Reveals Why He Spent $1 Million for One Night in a Hotel", Gold Coast Mansions Historic Long Island Home, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oheka_Castle&oldid=1147042569. A shooter tried to gun down Gary Melius, the powerful owner of Oheka Castlethe palatial hotel, restaurant, catering hall and frequent film set in Huntingtonbut Melius survived a gunshot wound to the head in broad daylight as he got into his car at the estate on Feb. 24. He holds an M.S. The owner, who also lives there, was shot by an unknown assailant Monday. The academy bulldozed the mansion's gardens and divided its luxurious rooms into smaller classrooms and dorms. An outdoor lounge at Oheka Castle which is part of the hotel's restaurant and bar. Melius, who poured $23,000 into Hardwick's campaign coffers, was accused of backing the candidate as a favor to his Republican pal, County Executive Ed Mangano, in an effort to siphon votes from the Democratic candidate, Tom Suozzi. Police said Melius had made it out of surgery by Monday evening and was alert and in stable condition. . Officials from both sides of the political aisle have often been his guests. In 2013, Melius was part of a controversy that resulted in the ouster of then-Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale over the arrest of a witness in an election lawsuit. (Andrew Theodorakis/New York Daily News). If this near death experience has done anything, is a reminder to live each day, celebrate life and embrace your family.". Oheka Castle shooting: Complete coverage - Newsday Long Island Suffolk Oheka Castle shooting: Complete coverage A Suffolk County police patrol car in front of the entrance to Oheka. Bleeding profusely, Melius stumbled back toward the castle. "When I first bought the property, it looked like something from a horror movie," Melius said. After surgery, he was alert and chatty in visits with family, friends and political bigwigs at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. Former President Bill Clinton presided over the wedding of then-Rep. Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin, a close aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in 2010. In its time as a private residence, it was the site of the kind of lavish parties which inspired the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby and continues to offer that same experience. Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. A family member drove Melius to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for a bullet wound to his forehead. . In 1914, he purchased 443 acres of land in Cold Spring Harbor, which is the highest point in Long Island, for a cool $1 million. In a lawsuit Democrats filed to challenge Hardwick's nominating petitions, White testified he was paid per signature, not by the hour, by Hardwick's campaign. Owner Shot in Head at Oheka Castle, Prominent Wedding Venue on Long Four years ago, he's shot in the middle of the day, and its captured on video, and there's no arrest.. Then, to build his dream home, Kahn would spend a total of $11 million roughly $158 million in today's currency. Was Typhoid Mary A Reckless Superspreader Or A Tragic Victim? Twarowski has written for the financial and metro desks of The Washington Post and has earned more than 100 local, state and national journalism awards and accolades. The campaign irregularities eventually got Hardwick sacked from the ballot. Former President Bill Clinton officiated the nuptials. Melius has engaged in political skirmishes with some of Long Island's most powerful officials, a high-ranking political source told the Daily News. "He said he had enough to put people in federal prison.". Whatever precipitated the shooting, it was likely connected to business not politics, Jacobs said Monday. When I first saw OHEKA back in 1984, even in its devastated state, I fell in love. State Supreme . Still, Oheka Castle remains an impressive sight. A receiver has been appointed to oversee operations at Oheka Castle in Huntington as part of the ongoing foreclosure case brought by its lender. Owner Gary Melius has spoken of plans to add more renovations and upgrades to Oheka Castle which would cost another $20 million. "Are you any closer today, Gary, to knowing who did this to you?" Christopher Twarowski is editor in chief of the Long Island Press and its chief of investigations. It's nothing but a miracle.". Suffolk asks FBI to assist in Oheka Castle shooting Restorations of Oheka Castle have cost $37 million over the last 20 years. The ex-senator had a lunch date scheduled with Melius on Monday until he learned of the shooting from Melius' daughter, according to Newsday. Police stand in front of Oheka Castle on Long Island after owner Gary Melius was shot on the premises Monday. In 1946 the golf course and stables became part of the Cold Spring Country Club,[5][6] and the greenhouse complex operated as Otto Keil Florist. February 24, 2015 / 7:08 PM Melius said he has recovered from his injuries. Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. Melius remains concerned for his welfare and that of his family, telling investigators he has no idea who is behind the hit. (Paul Prince/AP). Gusoff asked. Perhaps Fitzgerald might have described these nostalgic revelers with this fitting passage from Gatsby "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.". The 109,000-square-foot castle hosted the 2010 wedding of then-Congressman Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin. Unfortunately, the castle fell into disarray after Kahn's death in 1934, changing owners several times before finally standing vacant for over a decade.
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