"We don't have a motive at this point. 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. Oheka Castle is one of Long Island's most exclusive hotels, located in Huntington, N.Y. Copyright 2023 WABC-TV. And if there were a pressing problem requiring immediate attention, hed be the first one to be hands-on, as youd expect from a guy who once was a plumber, long before he became the king of the castle. Legends say the castle is haunted. John O'Sullivan said that it does not appear to be an accidental shooting, but that neither the shooter nor a motive has been identified. bucketlistli/TwitterOheka Castle's construction began in 1917 and was completed two years later. Devils shutout rival Rangers in Game 7 for 1st series win since 2012, Manhattan subway argument turns deadly: NYPD, Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot dies at age 84, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Orson Welles used its exterior to shoot some scenes there in 1940 for his American classic Citizen Kane. The 109,000-square-foot castle hosted the 2010 wedding of then-Congressman Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin. The moment the Oheka Castle's owner was shot in his Mercedes February 25, 2016 | 3:25pm. 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. Melius boasts of friendships with King and Democratic Rep. Steve Israel. The castle, built in 1919 by financier Otto Kahn, was used as a setting in the classic 1941 film "Citizen Kane.". It has since been converted into a 32-bedroom luxury hotel featuring a grand ballroom, restaurant and bar, a swimming pool, and more. Former President Bill Clinton officiated the wedding of Anthony Weiner, ex- congressman and mayoral candidate, at the castle in 2010. The grounds also featured a beautiful grand lawn with a reflective pool and fountains interwoven into its design as well as an 18-hole golf course. Originally a 127-room "house," Oheka Castle is now a 32-bedroom hotel. The historic Oheka Castle in Huntington is brimming with stories that would fill any bride's fantasies. An investigation by the Nassau County district attorney found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but raised questions about the ethics of Dale's actions, leading to his resignation. Visitors can tour other Historic Gold Coast Mansions, such as the Vanderbilt Museum, Old Westbury Gardens, Mill Neck Manor, and Coe Hall, which collectively were the inspiration for the classic novel, "The Great Gatsby"; relax on one of Long Island's beautiful sandy beaches; enjoy a classical music concert by the LI Philharmonic at the Tilles Center; or indulge in a wine tasting in Long Island's Wine Country on the North Fork. ", Oheka serves as a stand-in for a French mansion in Season 3 of the Hulu TV series, Oheka was used as the setting for a castle in, Oheka was used as the setting for the "Mr. Julius Caesar" rematch in the film, The castle was featured in Season 2 Episode 4 of the Hulu show, The castle was used as the setting for the, The castle was featured in the music video for, This page was last edited on 28 March 2023, at 14:12. 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. In the hallowed halls of this ornately refurbished mansion-turned-luxury hotel, catering and wedding hall, Melius would often be spotted without a tie and wearing blue jeans. But the owner of the mansion, Gary Melius, lived through a much darker experience. Melius, who is as comfortable rubbing elbows with celebrities and former Presidents as he is with throwing elbows in rough-and-tumble Long Island politics, turned Oheka Castle from a decaying estate into a luxury hotel and events space. All rights reserved. Police stand in front of Oheka Castle on Long Island after owner Gary Melius was shot on the premises Monday. Melius said he has recovered from his injuries. A look at the swimming pool at Oheka Castle. They said they will have an investigator with intricate knowledge of the case handling the calls. "You know, I wasn't really in favor of doing this, felt the police do their job like everybody else," Melius said. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He was rushed by a family member to nearby Syosset Hospital and was said to be alert and conscious after being transferred to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. So when he began work on his next palatial dream home, he had his architects design a fire-proof home build entirely of steel and concrete. I think hes going to make it! he told the Press when he was reached. Visitors can book a tour of the property which are available daily. "But I cannot imagine this would have anything to do with political disputes. Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y., was shot Monday morning by a masked gunman. If you look closely, the estate is peppered with the symbol of the Linden tree. The young man was arrested on an outstanding warrant while riding a county bus on Oct. 5. Thomas Melius is the biological son of Gary Melius' wife. He was sitting in his Mercedes-Benz in the parking lot of his sprawling Huntington estate, Newsday said. According to its current owner Gary Melius, the property "looked like something from a horror movie" when he first bought it in 1984. Melius, a supporter of the third-party candidate, then contacted Dale seeking to have the young man investigated. Melius has changed his security procedures since the incident, but doesn't give the shooting a second thought. in Journalism with a specialization in investigative journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and was an inaugural member of the schools Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism. "When I first bought the property, it looked like something from a horror movie," Melius said. Its massive size once made Oheka Castle the second largest private residence in the U.S., behind only the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. Details of the tapestry and chandeliers that adorn the inside of the estate. The witness, Randy White, was a campaign worker for third-party candidate Andrew Hardwick. Cops also hadn't determined how many shots were fired and had not interviewed the victim. Restoration efforts to restore Oheka Castle to its former glory and upgrade amenities cost $37 million over 20 years. The house was featured in a book by subsequent owners who claimed . In 1988, unable to continue financing the massive project, Melius sold the property to Hideki Yokoi for $22.5 million. Later he was transferred to North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, where Melius underwent surgery for what police described as a penetrating head wound.. They just shot him. God bless you all.. The 69-year-old went into shock immediately after he was shot and his recollection of the shooting are hazy, police say. Melius, a major political donor deeply involved in Long Island politics, was shot in the head Monday around 12:30 p.m. As of press time, there had been no suspects named nor arrests made in the case. Last year, he was at the heart of a political scandal that led to the resignation of Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale. Four years ago, he's shot in the middle of the day, and its captured on video, and there's no arrest.. Three days later, White was arrested on an outstanding warrant over an unrelated $250 fine he hadn't paid. Melius myriad business dealings? Shock spread among guests at the hotel and banquet hall after the shooting Monday. Theyve vowed to investigate every aspect of Melius life. High-powered developer Gary Melius a heavy hitter in the blood sport of Long Island politics was shot in the head by a masked gunman in an apparent assassination attempt Monday outside his tony Oheka Castle, police said. Oheka Castle's entirety was kept in tip-top shape by a team of 126 full-time servants. The Associated Press contributed to this report. "It was a cowardly act, whoever hired these guys," he said. Melius, 69, was struck down about 12:30 p.m. as he climbed into his Mercedes in the valet parking lot of the Huntington castle he calls home, Suffolk County police said. "It was an attempt at assassination . Thank God!. They have reviewed the castles video surveillance footage, but it reportedly did not catch the face of the would-be killer. the gunman fired a shot into his driver's side window. Melius was hospitalized for more than week. It was the country home of investment financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn and his family. Gary Melius told the paper that he believes police spent several months looking into his son, 34-year-old Thomas Melius, because of his problems with drugs, but could not connect him to the crime. David Winzelberg // January 15, 2019. 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. During World War II, Oheka Castle was converted into a radio operator's school for the Merchant Marines then occupied by the Eastern Military Academy. "It leaves me under a cloud that, 'Why did this guy get shot?'". If this near death experience has done anything, is a reminder to live each day, celebrate life and embrace your family.". It became known as Oheka Castle, an acronym taken from his full name. 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. The shooting was characterized by police as an assassination attempt but a year later, the case indeed appears to have gone cold, prompting friends and family to up the $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. Now after years of restoration and the support of my family I am proud to say that OHEKA is once again a private home and a great place to throw a party just as Otto Kahn did back in the decadent days of the 1920s. The district attorney found that Dale had instructed officers to arrest a 29-year-old Roosevelt man, who had testified in an unrelated case that he had been paid to collect signatures for a third-party candidate. Oheka Castle, also known as the Otto Kahn Estate, is a hotel located on the North Shore of Long Island, in West Hills, New York, also known as the "Gold Coast," a hamlet in the town of Huntington. Gary Melius criticizes the former district attorney for not releasing the video immediately, says Peddie. John O'Sullivan said. Police said Melius had made it out of surgery by Monday evening and was alert and in stable condition. With all his success, Kahn had some hard times too. Former President Bill Clinton officiated the nuptials. It took another two months for the rails to be refinished to restore the grand staircase to its former glory. Infamous (and possibly haunted) Long Island home. The owner, who also lives there, was shot by an unknown assailant Monday. One law enforcement official told Newsday last year that, "simply put, there are so many suspects." Melius, whod worked as a bowling alley pin setter and a plumbers helper before striking it rich in real estate, acquired the property in 1984 for $1.5 million and reportedly contemplated tearing it down because vandals had had the run of the place for several years. A receiver has been appointed to oversee operations at Oheka Castle in Huntington as part of the ongoing foreclosure case brought by its lender. At Melius' insistence, Dale directed cops to arrest a key witness in a case connected to the county executive race. The school occupied the house until it closed in 1979. I happen to be blessed with a very very large extended family who rallied to my side during the past 24 hours. "Some would ask, why not have that reward out there two weeks after or a month after?" The owner of a prominent wedding venue on Long Island where celebrities and dignitaries have held their lavish nuptials was shot in the head at the sprawling mansion Monday. Gusoff asked. "He said he had enough to put people in federal prison.". What is permanently damaged is his reputation, after what he called a character assassination in the press that hurt more than the shooting. (Paul Prince) The high-rolling target of a botched hit outside his Long Island. Oheka Castle, also known as the Otto Kahn Estate, is a hotel located on the North Shore of Long Island, in West Hills, New York, also known as the "Gold Coast," a hamlet in the town of Huntington. It doesn't appear to be an accidental shooting at this time.". Perhaps Fitzgerald might have described these nostalgic revelers with this fitting passage from Gatsby "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.". Who Makes The Best Margarita on Long Island? "Yeah, I asked him, I asked him very strong and there's nothing," Melius said. But he declined to give them specific details, Newsday said. [2], Kahn built Oheka in response to Jews being forbidden entry to clubs and golf courses in Morristown, New Jersey and because in 1905, a previous country home of Kahn's, Cedar Court, was virtually destroyed by fire. #TheFBIs "First place they look is my family so it was a tough thing to get used to," Melius said. In 1939, the family sold the sprawling property to the Welfare Fund of the Sanitation Workers and Oheka Castle became a retirement home for the sanitation workers of New York City. Who Makes The Best Grilled Cheese on Long Island? Oheka Castle, built by the industrialist Otto Herman Kahn (l. 1867-1934), is one of the best-known luxury hotels of Long Island, NY, USA today. "I cooperated with the police in looking at him, whatever they wanted, but there's nothing.". Everyone thought I was crazy to purchase the dilapidated estate but I saw the potential and also recognized the importance of OHEKA and its historic significance to America and the Gold Coast of Long Island. Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. Oheka Castle owner recovering after murder attempt By abc7NY Tuesday, February 25, 2014 HUNTINGTON, New York Investigators say the gunman wore a black mask and ambushed 69-year old Gary Melius. [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. 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. (Courtesy Paul Prince). "We've had our differences in the political realm," he said. 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. Its original 443-acre plot has shrunk to 23 acres over the last century. 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. Independence Party Chairman Frank Mackay, a close confidante of Melius, was in Louisiana with his family when the shooting occurred and was almost overcome with worry. It's been nearly four years since someone shot Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius in the face, and the assassination attempt is still . Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle in Long Island, was shot Monday by a masked gunman, police 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. First published on August 29, 2014 / 11:47 AM. 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. Police found two full rounds at the scene, Newsday said. Melius, a supporter of the third-party candidate, then contacted Dale seeking to have the young man investigated. There is plenty to do during your visit to Long Island. While no one saw an actual ghost, some of our #FBIMostWanted cast and crew mentioned an uneasy feeling on the top floor near the green rooms! If this near- death experience has done anything it is a reminder to live each day, celebrate life and embrace your family. Suffolk County Police officers surround the car belonging to Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle, who brought to Syosset Hospital with a gunshot wound on Monday. Christopher Twarowski, Spencer Rumsey, Timothy Bolger and Rashed Mian, Melius call to former Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale, Private Guided Bike Tour Thru Wine CountryGet a Workout with Your Wine. [7] Ten years later, following a lawsuit, the building passed to one of Yokoi's daughters and her husband. "To realize that he was able to recover from the shot, go back into Oheka, call the police," Rosenberg said. Toute l'actualit et les dernires informations sur la rgion Hauts-de-France, qui a t cre suite la rforme territoriale de 2015. Gary Melius has hosted several celebrity events at his castle, including Debbie Gibson's 2nd annual Gibson Girl Foundation Benefit on May 21, 2012. Dive into this mega-mansion's history and find out what makes it so special. Police stand in front of Oheka castle on Long Island after the owner Gary Melius was shot on the premises. The Cold Spring golf course and the property surrounding it that was. Police initially believed Melius was shot was he tried to climb into his car and got a lucky break when two bullets missed. State Supreme . Thomas Melius' attorney, Dennis Lemke, told Newsday that his client was in an inpatient drug program at the time of the crime. It took 18 months to scrape off the original paint from the railings during initial repairs. What is The Best Tex-Mex Restaurant on Long Island? 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. What is The Best Japanese Restaurant on Long Island? All rights reserved, Muslim Mayor From New Jersey Blocked From White House Eid Celebration, Man Charged With Murder in 31-Year-Old Cold Case Killing Of Queens Teen: DA, Met Gala 2023: Start Time, Theme, Guests & Everything Else to Know, Construction May Make Getting to JFK Airport a Nightmare for 3 Years: What to Know, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day'. An investigation by the Nassau County district attorney found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but raised questions about the ethics of Dale's actions, leading to his resignation. Melius has engaged in political skirmishes with some of Long Island's most powerful officials, a high-ranking political source told the Daily News. Devils shutout rival Rangers in Game 7 for 1st series win since 2012, Manhattan subway argument turns deadly: NYPD, Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot dies at age 84, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Gary Melius has hosted several celebrity events at his castle, including Debbie Gibson's 2nd annual Gibson Girl Foundation Benefit on May 21, 2012. Investigators will review surveillance footage. He told them he has no idea who tried to kill him, and there are no known witnesses. Views of the garden from the hotel's restaurant. Pathway to power: Gary Melius' rise through Long Island's cozy political system. In 1984, Oheka was purchased by Gary Melius, a Long Island developer. Was it related to politics, as one source with close ties to Melius who did not want his name used adamantly tells the Press? "But I saw what it needed, that it could become something great.". Surveillance video of the attempted murder of Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius shows two cars without license plates driving into his parking lot moments before a hooded, masked gunman started firing at him, Newsday reported Thursday. Oheka Castle is said to be the inspiration behind Scott F. Fitzgerald's 1925 book. He holds an M.S. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Suffolk County police would not comment on the status of the investigation Tuesday, but they did say there is no harm in Melius having his own tip line. It has been two years since Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius was shot in the head and the FBI now says it is getting involved. It's nothing but a miracle.". In addition to weddings, the castle hosts fundraisers, galas and numerous other high-profile events. To enter from the castles main entrance, visitors must follow a long winding road and pass through a gated driveway equipped with surveillance cameras. A family member? Oheka Castle was bought up in 1984 by developer Gary Melius who purchased the destroyed property and its remaining 23-acre plot for $1.5 million. Please enter valid email address to continue. Police stand in front of Oheka castle on Long Island after the owner Gary Melius was shot on the premises. . Or was the gunman simply a disgruntled employee of the Gold Coast castle? It began with hauling out 300 trailer trucks worth of trash over the first six months of repairs. A day after the attack, Melius posted a statement on Ohekas Facebook page, thanking those who have offered prayers and expressing his desire to return to the castle and to get back to work. 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. Feb. 24, 2014. Was it a former business partner or rival? 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. Bleeding profusely, Melius stumbled back toward the castle. MacKay described Melius as alert and even joking on the phone after the shooting, and said "he's the toughest man I've ever met.".
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