Steinway Mansion


The Steinway Mansion is a home located on a one-acre hilltop in the Astoria section of Queens, New York City. It was built in 1858, originally on on the Long Island Sound, by Benjamin Pike, Jr., born in 1809, a noted manufacturer of scientific instruments located in lower Manhattan. After his death in 1864, his widow sold the Mansion to William Steinway of Steinway & Sons in 1870. Jack Halberian purchased the Mansion in 1926 and upon his death in 1976, his son Michael Halberian began an extensive restoration. The house had been for sale since his death in 2010.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a city landmark in 1966, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The property was purchased by undisclosed buyers in 2014.

Description

The Steinway Mansion is a large Italianate Villa style dwelling. The architect is unknown. It is constructed of granite and bluestone with cast iron ornamentation and has a two-story, T-shaped central section, with a slate covered gable roof. It has a one-story library wing with large bay windows. It features a four-story tower topped by a balustrade and octagonal cupola. There are three porches supported by cast iron Corinthian order columns. There are five Italian marble fireplaces, pocket doors that hold original cut glass depicting many of Pike's 19th-century scientific instruments. The center main hall contains elaborate carved walnut balustrades, a two-story domed rotunda topped with a central stained glass skylight and ceilings throughout. There are three large underground cisterns designed to collect rain water from the roof for grounds irrigation and a 1000-gallon copper tank in the attic to furnish the house with a pressurized water system for bath and kitchen use.
In 2006, a documentary film titled The Steinway Mansion was produced and includes extensive interviews with Michael Halberian and Henry Steinway and many rare photos.