So, unfortunately, there arent many people that care that way anymore. But the only thing was it was too small. 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. And the porch went all like this, around the house. For example, could you tell what the original construction was? Utica. [laughs] And I lived there for a long time. I grew up loving it and always having it, and my mother was great with it. And the house across the street from it, the Old [Sir Walter] Tyrrell House. Im always doing something. Daller: Well, you got involved with Burkes Landing with Scalia. 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. So while I used to work then with them, and then I decided, this is not for me. You just named them. Q: The stuff that you got in England, from Mrs. Murphy. So what I did, I decided, well, Id go inand we had where you could buy all your liquor and such in the post exchange. Isnt that a huge house theyre building, you told me? 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, and I had bought the house, but I couldnt have the house and move in until she died. And the only reason why this survived is because nobody wanted the farmhouse! Burke: the Historic House people did give me a big bronze plaque to put on the front of it. I had a bulldozer two weeks, riding back-and-forth, and back-and-forth, and back-and-forth across the front of the house because you couldnt see the house from the water. That wasyou probably dont rememberthere was this great big factory right down here, built on the beach. Q: And did you keep records of the restoration process? See Photos. And one day I got a call from Mrs. Seguine. Because look how long the war went, and England had nothing. You know, he just passed away. And I walked into there and I walked up, and the lid was closed on the coffin. Burke: Well, I was always an antique collector. And I took the money. Linda? Visitation will be held on April 24, 2015 at 2:00 pm at Casey Funeral Home, 350 Slosson Ave, Staten Island, NY. Q: When you were making those decisions about decorating, were you thinking about a particular style, like a historic style, that you were going for? Burke: Well, Ill tell you, there wasnt that much in storagethe stuff that was in storage wasnt big pieces, maybe one or two. Q: [Laughs] Yes. 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. And the people that lived there, they got a little too old to stay there. Q: You mentioned that the South Shore has changed in the last few years. Im offered fortunes for the front field, for the side field, for the backfield. She would say, The lilacs still in the front hall? And Id say, Oh, is that what that smell is? And I had the two apartments! George: Oh, I knew the Seguines for years. And then one of my brothers had just gotten out of the military. Daller: Its life estate that he has. So I said to her, I said Bess, the only thing Ill save your house is a bulldozer! George W. Burke, age 63, of Hull, entered into eternal rest on October 2, 2021. It feels like home, because thats what its been. Mom, you own the house, you own at least part of it, or half of it. And he did these two chairs. Burke: Yes. Daller: And he formed the board in order to support the house. So, I dont know. You could see with all the houses over here, its gotten very built up. Im sorry that, during all that construction, I wasnt taking photographs, of step by step. Burke: And he was one of the top portrait painters in Madrid. I cant think ofdoesnt matter, the name of the people. I said, Well, the only one I know that talked like that is Bess Seguine. She said, Well, this is me. I said, What is it, Bess? She said, I want you to come and save my house. I said, Are you kidding, Bess? I said, as a kid growing up, we were always down on the beach, looking back up at this big white house that looked like a big Southern mansion. But before we know it, there wont be a thing left in the house. 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. So tell me about when you went to Europe. Burke: years ago, because I couldnt afford to keep it. And I looked back, you could hardly see the house. Burke: And Im leaving everything thats in the houseits staying. They were the Mackeys. And that was a kitchen, and that was bedrooms and a little living room, all up there. Burke: Scalia. And he was so good. What the woman who was caretaking her, what she had to do was constantly keep lilacs next to the bed. Q: So its budgets and the contractors, all that stuff. Developers. And she couldntthey couldnt keep up with it anymore. When I bought the house, the real estate people, they wouldnt go in. He was the top interior designer in New York. I saved it years and years ago. She said, Now you can save it., And I said, Well, I can save it. Burke: Yes, Mario come out all the time. Daller: We lived several places. And then when we realized we were broke, all my brothers joined the military, got married, moved away. 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. And there was a whole other floor, another story, and its built with the French style, in the French mansard. I was seventeen years with the Air Force. Find the obituary of William Burke (1966 - 2021) from Staten Island, NY. 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? He had come into my room when I was not there, stole everything. And I was always a horse person. And think about it. So its a shame. Burke: So I dont know if that was a ghost. But it doesnt work that way. And even though the house belongs, in essence, to Historic House Trust, they werent reimbursing him for anything. Daller: He did the sofa upstairs as well. This was the farmhouse. The Seguine girls, as they were called,. And now theyre buildingI havent seen it, but Linda says its a huge house theyre building. Of course, over therewhen I was over thereEngland was just getting out of the bad part of the War [World War II], and they had nothing over there. 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. But I had all this beautiful carved stuff. Its been so long now. That poor horse. But unfortunately, all the stuff up there was cured by urine. When I bought it, I didnt know what was that ones house. Yes. Devoted father of Matthew I. Burke, Jason L. Burke, and Georgina. And then I what else? I went over there, and it was standing up sleeping! What the hell do you think it was? Because you never finish, youre always finding something to do. Thats when she said to me, George, go save my house. And I came down and looked at it. It was a mess of a mess. And we used to say, Wow, wonder who lives there? Staten Island was very early on, and then Florida, and then off to Europe. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. They didnt even have soap. Of course, she loved the smell of lilacs. Burke, who knew of the home and property from the time when he was a child, was committed to the challenge. He was from Central America somewhere, and he just believed in everything had to be right. We were only allowed so much. She stated, George, I want you to save my house, and agreed to sell the house for a feasible sum in exchange for his promise to restore it. Burke is joined in this interview by his niece, Linda Daller. 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. Well, he didnt want the bull with the little girl. Burke: Well, if she left them there, she had to come back as a ghost and tell me that they were there! Brooklyn Births: 1898-1909 Deaths: 1847-53, 1857-1948 Marriages: 1866-1949 *Pre-1898 records are for Brooklyn city only. Burke: But anyway, it was a big beautiful cameo brooch, and was wrapped in an oil cloth rag! Good God! So because it was done like the French did, I never had to pay tax, or only tax on a two-story house, instead of a three-story. So I still had to get up every day and go to work. So coming back to it was a change. Births: July 1847-48, July 1853-1909 Deaths: 1795, 1802-04, 1808, 1812-1948 Marriages: June 1847-48, July 1853-1949 *Includes records for western Bronx, 1874-97, and eastern Bronx, 1895-97. Now what are you going to do with this? And he was studying art and he painted my portrait that shell show you, thats upstairs. The Seguine Mansion, also known as The Seguine-Burke Mansion, is located on Lemon Creek near the southern shore of Staten Island. Get out. Death and Obituary Indexes from the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library includes: Buffalo Deaths, 1882-1892; Death Notices and Obituaries in the Buffalo News, 4-22-2009 to 2010; Index to Births, Marriages, and Deaths found in select Buffalo and Erie County Publications, 1870s-1950; some cemetery burial records; and other items. Burke: Mario Buatta and a couple of people of his friends that were just as big. Q: Yes. Burke: So that should pretty well cover it, I think. They even stopped you riding in the parks. Q: And thats what allowed you to buy this house? Hes done it for forty-plus years, now its time to give back. And I took interior design and the history of architecture, and something else. 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. In fact, her husband was a big-wig. You got to get out. 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So Walter was re-stationed to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Troy. And you can ask[gesturing to Daller], Daller: Everybody got something. Im sure some will. And they repaired all these taxis, repainted them, and then sold them all to Cuba. Up until a year ago, he was still cutting the lawn! It turned my stomach just to watch all of that gorgeous stuff just destroyed. And he asked me would I be interested in working for him out here on Staten Island. You buy me out. And he bought me out. He spends time in every part of it. Q: Was that here in the house? When he came he got everything going. Burke: Yes. Yes, Mrs. Mackey. But this is too much for you, George. George Burke. And then I shipped it all back home. The Greek Revival house is one of the few surviving examples of 19th Century life on Staten Island. I moved in, I cleaned it all up. I loved them too. They were all six floor walkups and, thats where you lived! But it only reached a certain point of it, not in the very beginning. What was her name? Burke: Mario Buatta got me into all of that. Its all part of history, and theyre just destroying it every way they can. We were doing other parties at the time, the only thing we still maintain is the White Party. All Rights Reserved, Town Departments at Work: The role of each part of your local government. Thats what I was. Daller: The stables. Victor. They were all along the waterfront here. They were great. Q: And how did you keep track of all the items in your collection as they were moving from, Burke: Well, a lot of this stuff, I never got back, because once you left it for years and years, you werent going to go back and say, Well, give me that, and give me this. Was it your mother I gave her all the blue and. But I still have a lot of it. And you cant control it from the grave. Thats the only way to explain it. So as long as you have people, youre going to have change, and people are going to say, That doesnt work! Those stables? Burke: Ed. And he dealed in antique rugs, and regular rugs and everything. Yes. My sister, Frances, got me a nice little apartment in the Bronx, right next to her. All the way to the Great Kills Harbor. The woodwork, the moldings, the parquet floors. She was on TV complaining about it. Located in Staten Island, NY. Q: So what was it like when you had the house finished and furnished? But unfortunately, it all fell in. So theres no more Scalamandr, I dont think, is there? All that gorgeous porcelain, like the Flower Sellers Childrenits a big piece like that. Daller: See, now you learned about kitchens. And the house was like this, a big piece with two big wings. Brother Bill? Burke: Well, I dont know if people will ever realize in years and years to come that I saved so much, but they did give me a plaque for restoration. Q: So those things that you got later on, afterthey didnt come from Europe. And they said, Well, we cant handle it, George. That whole salon set there was a Victorian salon setand the couch is a camelback. Everybody had left, and Bess and Marge were there, and Bess said to me, George, sit down. Would you? Its unreal! That was a shame. If they brought flowers, it had to be lilacs. So I said, Oh. So that was thatI got that little story. I mean, its just normal living in a normal house. He upholstered that chair with the things in the back. They just couldnt handle it. Daller: Mm-hmm. People: Mario Buatta, Luis Caizares, Linda Daller, John Krawchuck, James and Kathleen Pistilli, Adriana Scalamandr, John Scalia, Elizabeth Bess Seguine Aug, Joseph Seguine, Organizations: Friends of the Seguine Mansion, Historic House Trust, House of Scalamandr, NYC Departments of Parks and Recreation, Sherwin-Williams, U.S. Air Force, Places: Annandale, Hammersmith College, Port Richmond, Old Bermuda Inn, Saks Fifth Avenue, Seguine Mansion, St. George, Staten Island, Tidewater Inn, Tottenville, The New York Preservation Archive Project. And I hope whoever is in charge of itLinda will probably be here in charge! Theres one here, theres one there, and theres one in the other room. And this is Sarah Dziedzic. Burke: No, who gave me that? But the old lady that lived there was very, very sick. The Seguine nestled in the back of his mind, Burke joined the Air Force and moved to London when he was 19. Q: Thank you for that story. I saved that, thats still there. Q: So tell me about what its been like for you to live here. And then you could walk under the porch out into the garden. So we lived there, and it was a big courtyard and there were four buildings and the center courtyard was all grass. You cant ride on the street. 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? What the hell is that coming from? So I come down the stairs, and as I got down the stairs, the spelling got stronger and stronger. Otherwise, Id never be able to have half the stuff thats in here because it would have cost me a private fortune to have it shipped. Like this chair that youre sitting in, these are Chippendale chairs in the Chinese style. Well, Bess, and my brothers wife, Evelyn, never got along. I have questions about closets too! You want to take down every statue thats been there for a thousand years because, No, that statue shouldnt be there. Or was that brother Ed? Im no bulldozer!. Were going to this estate. I didnt know they were lilacs, but I could smell something pretty. I mean, this was just a farmhouse. And I miss all those horses. And when they werent in the house, they would go and buy them at the stores, and there was always lilacs in the house. Ill do the whole window. And you would have been taxed in this country if it was already like that. Thats how I got to know Adriana Scalamandr and the Scalamandrs. Yes, by the time I got to do all that I had no money left. And he saw the way to help out, and I said, well form a board and what well do is well continue to have fundraisers in order to support the house, but we need additional help and support as well. So it shows you that you have a friend forever. Well, do you know what your preferences are? In a house that you dont even own? Q: Well, Im pretty much at the end of my questions. And that was a couple people from Tottenville, caused all that. It has to stay exactly as an old plantation house. You couldnt even see it. Burke: Well, I hope it gets maintained. Just landmarked. Daller: Thats a story you should share, about the lilacs and the lady. Q: Yes, you can tell me about your early life and the memories you have of growing up here. The following is a roundup of obituaries published on SILive.com. And I went in and I noticed my big box was gone. Because Evelyn didnt like the house, his wife. Burke: Anyway, she was well known here on Staten Island. And I got a big certificate for saving that. And you can put it together and fix it. Q: I wanted to ask, also, theres a painting of you in the house, right? My father was in the political-end, and he was in Borough Hall and everything like that. Burn it down, put a candle in the middle of the hall. Q: And, do you keep records on, on those kinds of things? Eric. And she wanted to start running things and taking things over. He was predeceased by his mother Lena Russo-Tredici. Burke: Chris will stay living here. That was gorgeous. What was. And I was the assistant to the general who was the surgeon for the European Command. Were not going to stay and put up with these two people. Youre working too hard. One woman wouldnt go it, cant think of her name. And if you went around with Mario Buatta, that was like going with the President of the United States. I went around and I got it and shipped it all back home. Burke: Oh, what I want to do isover that fireplace, I want to take that painting downand bring my painting and put it over that fireplace. Remember him? The Secret Service, as well as a Cohasset school accounting specialist and the superintendent, are determining how much the operation cost the town. Daller: But when you got it, it really was in need of repair. It was gorgeous and very ornatewas very, very much like Greek Revival. Im gonna save this house. Ticonderoga. And then he got married and moved in with his wife. And I had more bargains from Mrs. Murphy. And I wanted these little chairs tufted but he had passed away before he could get around to tuft. Burke: Oh, well, when I was inI guess I was in England. And she had this woman who was a caretaker. And there was a big flight of stairs that went across the big porch across the front of the house, posts. I wanted to ask about the Equestrian Center. And over the years, it became just prohibitive to try and do. And Diane said, Oh, Marian has it.. But when I die, they say theyre going to make a museum out of it. And she said, George, you have so much with design and such, I want you to take over the wallpaper department and the fabric department. I did fantastic for the store. And then, it wasI guess that was in the spring, then later on, I dont know what I was doing. So one day, my sister Bess said to my mother and me, she said, Go pack. If you dont want to come dont show up. And he said since hes been here, he has nobody here. George Burke. Im going to get gifts now because Im staying in the house and Im going to fix it up.. I remember you always loved it and liked it. Q: Can you tell me about the ghost in that house? And I did, I got in St. George wasnt it? I mean, these little gold chairs, are Victorianthats a Victorian chaireverything is really Victorian. If we can reach an agreement with Historic House Trust, by all means.
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