Burke: So I did that [sold the Tidewater Inn]. The mansion had a huge ballroom and everything in it. Theres a bunch of little houses now built all along through their gardens. 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. Adriana would come out and shed say, Well, Ill tell you what, George. 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. I was always in the operating room or someplace like that. Lets move out, youre being kicked out anyway, the house is sold. Oh shit, Im going to have to rebuild the wall. So I started pulling the bricks out, and wrapped up where one of the bricks was, was an oil cloth rag all wrapped up. He got involved with riding there and was constantly riding. Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York, Kings, Long Island, and New Jersey (718) 966-7800 The house is haunted, she said, if youre interested in it, George, heres the key to the front door, you go. And as I said, there was a big flight of stairs that went up and a big porch across the whole front of the house. And Im looking at looking at it and I said, You know, thats the last house. And I gave that, I thinkI dont know if I gave it to Bess. I mean, you talked about it, when you were a kid, that it was this big house that you would see when you were out on, Daller: Its a part of the history of Staten Island. So I said, The hell with this. So, I dont know. So here I was with all this stuff, sending it home to my family, sending it to my sisters. They were gorgeous. Theres none of the spirits. Lets keep fighting it, because there was no way to fight. The ceilings had fallen down because a lot of the drain pipes had leaked. Burke: Oh, yes. Theyre getting rid of everything! We were only allowed so much. And what they did is they bought a whole fleet of old taxis. Burke: Yes. George Burke. Burke: Mario Buatta got me into all of that. And that was it. Did you know that from? And so they lost it. George W. Burke, age 63, of Hull, entered into eternal rest on October 2, 2021. [laughs] But, itll be here. She said, George, when she died, she was laid out in the coffin, right in that room, in front of those two windows. He used to stay out here. 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. The woodwork, the moldings, the parquet floors. George Burke is the restorer of the historic Seguine Mansion on the South Shore of Staten Island, where he has lived and taken care of the property for over four decades. And Diane said, Oh, Marian has it.. But how many people really have a sense of history anymore? And that was only one of them. I probably gave it to Bess. So, thats it, I said, to hell with it. She was the girl who hired me, and she ran the big Sherwin Williams store. After Burke returned to Staten Island, he purchased and restored two houses and an old restaurant and bar before he was contacted by Bess Seguine in 1981, who had inherited the then-deteriorated Seguine Mansion. In this interview, Burke talks about working with designer Mario Buatta, along with the House of Scalamadr, to select furniture and fabrics to decorate the home in the Victorian style. And then when they decided thatthey owned a beautiful house on one of the Keys in Florida. How the hell they got to the right people, I dont know. So then I said, well, what the hell am I gonna do? Daller: Thats been acquired over the years. And the backyard is beautiful. And then I shipped it all back home. And with the money that I made from there, I put it right back in the building. He was an antiquehe had a big rug business in. I wanted to ask about the Equestrian Center. So I would go to the flea markets and things. Burke: Oh my god. And the porch went all like this, around the house. Well, it doesnt matter, her name. So by the time he came back, all this had changed. Burke: I had a beautiful big old house in Tottenville that I loved. Brother Bill? She spent most of her life as a homemaker. And she was laying with her arms, like that. That was gorgeous. And then, on the side of the house in the back, there was a little piece built out. 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. So I go downstairs. 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. Most of them were little things. And I saved quite a bit of money. He was the top interior designer in New York. And he died young. Thats how I got to know Adriana Scalamandr and the Scalamandrs. But what was really, really bad was people, if they were going to build a garage, or they were going to build something, theyd go to that big, beautiful mansion and rip the siding off of it and take it back to build what they want to build. Burke: So that should pretty well cover it, I think. I mean, after it was finished, who cared? And then Id been in Europe all that time. https://www.nypap.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BurkeGeorge_20211109_access_redacted.mp3. Im gonna save this house. George James Manger , 100, of Staten Island died on May 4, 2022. Daller: Oh, thats exactlyI mean, because that was the reason for getting a board, was to also help get things done. She was a nasty old lady! But that was funny. But that was biga big, two-bedroom condo. Daller: Oh, theOh God now, whats it called? Staten Island was very early on, and then Florida, and then off to Europe. 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? Burke: Well, Ill tell you, there wasnt that much in storagethe stuff that was in storage wasnt big pieces, maybe one or two. 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. Daller: But he has albums upstairs, photos. No, its not something were talking about right now. Because Mrs. Seguine was holding the. But I forgot what the other two things were. 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. Thats why I did what I did, because I figured that if anything ever happens to me, all of this, now, will have to stay as it is. Im gonna go look. Its a plus for the borough too. This old? 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 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? Ill do that. So that was over in Port Richmondits still there, I understand, the store. Burke: Down in the basement, my friend Eriche was great, with this Ouija board and all this stuffand he said, George, lets do a seance! So we got a bunch of people together and we went all down in the basement. That was a shame. And the people that lived there, they got a little too old to stay there. 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. Is that what you want? Because the other way, my uncle was digging into whatever a little bit of savings he had, in order to pay. So it didnt matter. A necklace with a gold heart that opened like a. I mean, its just normal living in a normal house. Burke: Oh, it was all overgrown with undergrowth. He brought a crowd with him and it was just to tell him thank you for everything that hes done. But anyway, I had come back to America. I think I got the two of them for five bucks or something like that. Q: The stuff that you got in England, from Mrs. Murphy. I had just bought this house, and it needed a lot of work. Do you remember that? And I dream that I heard some noise. Interviewee: George Burke Location: Staten Island, NY Interviewer: Sarah Dziedzic Date: November 9, 2021 . That was a bigits still there. Burke: Yes. It feels like home, because thats what its been. Burke: Well, a good example is the one right here at the end of the street. I mean, I had a beautiful condo in Florida. Burke: years ago, because I couldnt afford to keep it. I did everything. Like this chair that youre sitting in, these are Chippendale chairs in the Chinese style. It was a sweet sixteen Ill never forget. So she said, Bess said, Were going to have to quit, George. I said Oh, shit. But I put the kitchen in the basement and sealed up that, because once that filled up with water, it would leak into the basement. Then I got shipped to Europe. She was a very good friend of mine, a really pretty lady. George Burke. George Burke was born on Staten Island and grew up in Annandale before moving to Florida with his family. Daller: And he uses every room, he doesnt sit in one room. Because back when they built the houses, kitchens were never built in the house. And I made a lot of money. And then one of my brothers had just gotten out of the military. Q: Can you tell me about the ghost in that house? And he said, Mom, Ill move in to the other part of the house. Burke: Yes. They just went and just vandalized it to hell until there was nothing but a shell left. Well, what are we talking about? Burke: Sure. And have something on a loop in here, which weve been trying to do, where itll be an audio and a video of him discussing the house, because nobody knows it any better than he does. Just landmarked. And he owned the funeral home. But I restored all that. So we brought that point up a few times. Burke: I think, what was left of it, the sons moved to California and they opened up a Scalamandr in California. Burke: Oh, well, when I was inI guess I was in England. I forgottheres ten acres that is landmarked now. But this is too much for you, George. But the basement was the summer dining rooms and summer kitchen. Got a good price for a couple of other real estate pieces that I bought and fixed up and sold. I was living in London, and I was studying the history of art and design, or something like that, in the University of London, and he was going and he was studying art. Facebook. Oh, we were crabbing. But I still have a lot of it. Anyway, I said, Oh boy, did I have a scary dream. I told her my dream. And they added this big dining room to the other side of the house. I spent enough time breaking my back. Ill make you the drapes. The drapes are still up there. Beloved husband of Rosanna (Ialuna) Burke. Yes. And if you went around with Mario Buatta, that was like going with the President of the United States. And its still there, its all there. The Secret Service, as well as a Cohasset school accounting specialist and the superintendent, are determining how much the operation cost the town. Daller: Well, they hope to. And then the people that moved out left a bunch of old furniture, and these were the two that they left. Daller: He enjoys the whole house. Probably. He worked by himself. Q: How did you establish a relationship with the Parks Department and the Historic House Trust? Is there anything, you think? Burke: Her sister has it [indicating Daller]. And she used to drink all the whiskey like crazy. Q: Today is November 9, 2021. And I hope whoever is in charge of itLinda will probably be here in charge! And then I what else? Its Greek Revival. Was her name Mackey? Then I went looking for the big pieces. So this house tells a particular story, a long history, but it cant tell the history of the other houses because they were so different. 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 the last time I went there, there was all houses built in it. 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. That wasyou probably dont rememberthere was this great big factory right down here, built on the beach. Yes. Developers. Right across the creek. The kitchen was never in the basement. No, it wasnt that. He did the White House and everything. Daller: Well, he hopes that Historic House Trust and the Parks Department work hand in hand and maintaining itthat theyll maintain it as a museum. In good condition? I bought those in Germany. Daller: Oh, yes. And so shes got the bridge, and it costs money. Q: Andif this is something that you cant discuss, let me knowbut, for example, if you decide to repaint, like you did in this room, is that something that the board fundraises for? 06/26/1943 - 02/20/2023. Q: So this is going to part of an online archive. Burke: Right across the creek. Daller: That was the house that had ghosts. Help NYPAP document and celebrate NYCs preservation movement. Q: So those things that you got later on, afterthey didnt come from Europe. Its a real pretty smell. She said, Yes, its lilacs. She said Mrs. Whatever-her-name-was always had to have lilacs. Burke: I dont find any difference living here. But Ive got to bring that portrait down and put it above that fireplace and get rid of that painting thats there. The roof was shot because the old guy that was caretaker here, he used to walk around on the roof and watch all the boats in the harbor. Burke: Well, when it came to really heavy construction, like this whole wall being rebuilt and things, I had to hire carpenters and I had to hire plasters to plaster the ceiling. I moved in, I cleaned it all up. Bulldozed that down. So we need to get help. Burke: Let me think of how all that started. And in the meantime, I made a couple of little investments and they turned out very well for me. But you do have Chris thats upstairs that lives in the servants quarters. Burke: Anyway, she was well known here on Staten Island. 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