Join Facebook to connect with George Burke and others you may know. I went to boot camp, I loved it. Burke: Yes, and I had a beautiful apartment for years in St. George. Click here to view all obituaries Search Obituaries Contact Us / Location. Thats what it is. Valley Stream. Theyre piled up. Thats when she said to me, George, go save my house. And I came down and looked at it. So when I got it, of course, the old kitchen was inI had knocked it down because it was all falling apart. Or next to the chair where she was sitting. And they were good investments. Id come back up and I could still smell it in the hallway. Then I went looking for the big pieces. Q: And how did you decide, I guess, how to rebuild? Staten Island, Richmond County, NY Genealogy Site - Staten Island Recent Obituaries Most of them were little things. And that guy, look at the size of that house he just built. But, thats what I did. There were some gorgeous mansions. Burke: Okay. Aug. 16, 1954 - February 25, 2023 Loving and loyal husband, father, brother, uncle, great uncle and friend. And here was the street. And thats where I had all this wonderful carved stuff from the Eskimos that they gave me. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of George Burke to show support. Burke: So, my sister Marge, and my sister Bess, would come over and help me. Burke: Yes, I had to go down in the basement, and put a post, and then I had to jack up the stairs. All the grounds, the stables, everythingthey cant change a thing. I remember you always loved it and liked it. Find your ancestry info and recent death notices for relatives and friends. 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. In Europe, he felt like he had been. And then I what else? If it wasnt for Mrs. Mackey across the street telling me about the funeral, I would have never known. Ill do that. So that was over in Port Richmondits still there, I understand, the store. Probably. Burke: Greek revival. And where to get the good buys, and all that kind of thing. Q: Today is November 9, 2021. People that owned U.S. Steel, their mansion was over there. Chris was the one that got involved with it. Daller: Yes, definitely. Ill help renovate it, fix it up and such. And thats what we did. So that makes sense. And he wanted to retire and he gave his son the business. And if they only would have remained, they would have been a part of it, and everything could have been fully appreciated. And there was a whole other floor, another story, and its built with the French style, in the French mansard. 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. So he came out. But when they were building houses, if you had a third story, your taxes went out of sight! George Burke. I wanted to know some more details about the life tenancy. The only thing that will save this house as a bulldozer! [laughs] But anyway, I saved it. Utica. So itll be part of Staten Island that people, maybe fifty years from now when theres not a spot left, theyll all come out and theyll look and say, Wow, this is what it used to be.. He was from Central America somewhere, and he just believed in everything had to be right. But some strange things did happen in the house. Yes. The Seguine Mansion, also known as The Seguine-Burke Mansion, is located on Lemon Creek near the southern shore of Staten Island. What a damn dream, there she was, laying in her coffin there, with her finger at me. But this is too much for you, George. Burke: What its been like for you to live here. And I took the money. And its more expensive to keep her horses there than it was here. Eventually, he was able to move his collection of Victorian-style furnishings safely into the home, and add to it larger pieces of furniture to complete the restoration. 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. I saved that, thats still there. Absolutely gorgeous. That was all what she had in mind! And I said, Oh, shit. Stony Brook. Because, now, they cant tear it down. Now, this is a portrait of Joseph Seguine. Burke: Oh, it was all overgrown with undergrowth. Either you buy me out, or I buy you out. Burke: Yes. Cohasset crypto case: Everything court documents reveal. So I figured, oh, shit. So thats my uncles hope for it as well. Stole all that carved stuff, stole all that stuff, that whole box of stuff. Q: The stuff that you got in England, from Mrs. Murphy. Im giving nothing away. So a couple of days later, I have a dream. There isnt a room he doesnt go into. Q: So he knew how much work it would take over the years and what a relationship would be like to. He introduced me all the time tobecause look at look at what he was. They cant do anything. 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. You dont have to worry about, sleeping on your couches and all that kind of stuff, and, you know, pulling out fake beds, and that kind of stuff. The woodwork, the moldings, the parquet floors. And I finally got to meet Mrs. Seguine because she had stables at that time. So we lived there, and it was a big courtyard and there were four buildings and the center courtyard was all grass. What the hell is this? All of a sudden, she went, Youre in my house, and get out! Holy Christ. And I just got a call from all my lady friends saying that my house is falling apart. 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. He used to stay out here. We are a big family. Then there was the main hall that went through, just like this: door, front door, back door. I mean, I couldnt do stuff like that all the other stuff I could do. Because Mrs. Seguine was holding the. This whole corneryou could stand and see the street out there, so this whole corner was rebuilt. And we had our barracks, of course, and having your barracks, the only thing you had was a big trunk where you kept all your clothes in. And right there in front of the windows was a coffin with all the flowers around it and everything. And they repaired all these taxis, repainted them, and then sold them all to Cuba. When they shipped me back from where I was, where the Eskimos were, they sent me back to the base, because they were shipping everybody now, backafter your time was up, you had to go back because you couldnt stay any longer than two years, and after two years, you had to come back to the States. And youd walk out, and the porch was all brick, and at the end of the porch was a big arch that had little windows in it and a French door where you could walk out to the garden. Q: And thats what allowed you to buy this house? I mean, lets face it. Q: You mentioned that the South Shore has changed in the last few years. Theres too much business going on here. So were talking about this and talking about this. 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. Still kept it. Just landmarked. He cant do this anymore. She had a caretaker or she had a woman that took care of her, or something. 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. Thats ittheres no more of them. Yes, the dining room and the kitchen was on the other two, side. So you really cant even try to say what does it feel like? Troy. And I had the two apartments! And he said, George, you know, that big, beautiful house that sits empty? He was born here. Burke: The only thing is, the house will be closed. She was a very good friend of mine, a really pretty lady. Beloved husband of Rosanna (Ialuna) Burke. Its a plus for the borough too. Because back when they built the houses, kitchens were never built in the house. Before he left, the house was fine. He come over he looked at it. So I had all my goodies packed in a box, getting ready to go. And it was twice the size of this house. Unfortunately. All that gorgeous porcelain, like the Flower Sellers Childrenits a big piece like that. Q: And you knew the style from having studied the history of design and architecture. And he come from a very, very wealthy family in Madrid. 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 it just became a moot point. Burke: Okay. Or was that brother Ed? And think about it. He was 63. Burke - 1 - 2 and grew up 90% of my time on Staten Island until I became old enough and I joined the military. But when he was in Europe, he rode. And one day. You couldnt even see it. So we talked to our brother Bill and he had come up with the money, bought the house. I lived in one room, for almost five years. So it took a fortune, but I had it, all that money, to restore the house. I said, Where are you? She said, Well, I moved out years ago and went back to Georgia. And, she said, If so, we will give you gifts. And then that was the end. Daller: I mean, that big wrap-around porch that went all the way around the house. Its, all the numbers are accounted for. But the one that I remember was a great big brooch. It was similar, only bigger and more ornate. But that was a condo. And over the years, it became just prohibitive to try and do. Syracuse. I could. Daller: Yes. And then I said, well, now Im going to buy a home. [laughs] But, itll be here. They couldnt. So I run downstairs. The son and his wife took over Scalamandr. They were all along the waterfront here. Frank Tredici Jr., age 79, of Staten Island, New York, passed away on Monday, February 20th, 2023. Q: So part of why it closed was because. Because the problem was is that my uncle was paying for everything in the househe was paying for the heating, he was paying all the utilities, paying all the bills. 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. And I said, Was that a dream? With that old fabric, theres enough to make drapes for one window. And I was a medic. But because I was military, the military shippedwhen they moved me, they moved all my stuff. So they went into repairing things. Email or phone: Password: . And then I shipped it all back home. So they built it like an attic and it was called an attic but it was a whole complete story. She lived up on Lighthouse Hill. Q: [laughs] How did you figure out what needed to be done with the house? And from the garden, you could come back in under the porch and down into the kitchen in the basement. But they did a lot for me. She had to move them to New Jersey. And I went around and we all hadyou were only allowed to buy two bottles of wine and a bottle of whiskey, or something. Burke: Well, the house, actually, from the outside, is aoh, shitthe name of it went right out of my head. But he did a lot of the work for you. And she was laid in a dress with a big lace collar. Then, on that side, was the dining room, and the kitchen. Its still there. So its a shame. Its all stay in here. And when youd come down, there wasthe stairwell come down, and it was a double parlor, like this, and where this door was, was with two double doors. Burke: I never lived in a little small house, I have no idea. Yes, but it was weird. Oh, thats right. 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. Daller: Thats a story you should share, about the lilacs and the lady. And the house across the street from it, the Old [Sir Walter] Tyrrell House. Well, I was born on Staten Island. Eric. Well, by this time, I had a lot of money. But when I die, they say theyre going to make a museum out of it. And that was only one of them. Staten Island was very early on, and then Florida, and then off to Europe. Daller: Oh, theOh God now, whats it called? I loved being there and everything. I can get that. Because you could get it through theand once I got involved, I did really, really well. And I had beautiful big pieces of Meissen that I got when I was in Germany, and it all went here and there andI cant get it back. But it doesnt work that way. And one day, I was sitting in the dining room. Q: Did you keep up a conversation with Mario Buatta about. Its still that way. Im going to get gifts now because Im staying in the house and Im going to fix it up.. So we brought that point up a few times. Because there was a big double parlor like this on one side of it. Do you remember that? You want to have someone living in it, you cant have an empty house. Theres a bunch of little houses now built all along through their gardens. And the backyard is beautiful. 06/26/1943 - 02/20/2023. And a lot of it got given away, got lost. You could see with all the houses over here, its gotten very built up. And I went to Hammersmith College. A lot of these drapes, they did. And you cant control it from the grave. 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. But it looked like an attic with the roof like that and everything. Burke is joined in this interview by his niece, Linda Daller. Yes. Brother Celestine George Burke, an educator who was a member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for 63 years, died on Thursday at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J. . Q: Well, Im pretty much at the end of my questions. Daller: What about the coat? And I had a beautiful restaurant and a bar connected to 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. But, with that money, I paid this house off. I bet shes there. Burke: And he was one of the top portrait painters in Madrid. Where all the servants lived. They were great. Most of the furniture thats hereI never furnished the house until I owned it. Devoted father of Matthew I. Burke, Jason L. Burke, and Georgina. Do you drink? No, we dont drink. So I would collect all the stamps. I know all the grounds that were around it were beautiful gardens. Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm MDT . 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. Search Staten Island obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Restored the building, looked around, come down, bought this house from Mrs. Seguine, and then moved out of the bar and restaurantbecause I had a room upstairs in it. Is that what you want? Daller: Yes, well, thats what we just said, yes. According to the funeral home, the following services have. STATEN ISLAND, NY 10309. Q: Your collection of the items that you bought from Mrs. Murphy. Find the obituary of William Burke (1966 - 2021) from Staten Island, NY. And they said he had the box, and took it with them. I had a dream thatin my dream, I woke up and I was laying in bed upstairs, and I could smell lilacs. Daller: Stating that it is part of it part of Historic House. Burke: After I had the house, then I got the big pieces of furniture. I think so. So if this can remain a part of the history, thatll be great for people to appreciate. She was a nasty old lady! But that was funny. Its Greek Revival. And so people saidthey took all the horses and they moved to New Jersey. And also about the history of Staten Island, or the style that the house is decorated in, the Victorian style, your collection. And as I said, for a thing of whiskey or a bottle of wine, theyd give you anything, because none of them have had it for years and years. Daller: The staircase wasnt even straight. And even though the house belongs, in essence, to Historic House Trust, they werent reimbursing him for anything. But I had all this beautiful carved stuff. But the other house, one of his friends was pushed down the stairs. And then finally I had a man come in and talking to me about how hes bought a place on Staten Island that hes opening up a place like Saks only not as nice. So I said, The hell with this. John T Burke passed away on April 22, 2015 in Whiting, NJ and is under the care of. Daller: Oh, yes. I mean, as a kid going down here crabbing, down on the beach, we used to look back at the house all the time. And as you see it today was from me doing all those little things. And all my brothers. And one day I got a call from Mrs. Seguine. That was something that you had restoredis that right? And Ill invest in a couple of other things that will give me a nice little income, and I wont have to worry about it. Daller: Then you got rid of thatbut those are the early days. A lot of the windows were broken out of it. Wed go down through the junk yards and whatnot. And I got a good price for that. Its been so long now. Put a candle right in the middle of that floor and go take a walk. [laughs] He called it the one-candle house. The columns werent square wooden ones, like these, they were beautiful fluted ones with all the Corinthian leaves on the tops of them and all that stuff. I think there were hundreds of people that worked there. The one owned by the steel companywas that a beautiful house! Burke: No, who gave me that? Im offered fortunes for the front field, for the side field, for the backfield. I found a beautiful place in Tottenville and I opened it and called it the Tidewater Inn. I mean, this whole ceiling was shot. Kathleen graduated from St. Peter's Girls High School in 1962. I did everything. I mean, we had clocks, baby-Ben clocks, hanging in apartments. Prince Edward Island. Its Meissen. Frank Tredici. Everything has to be environmentally done properly, so by the time you figure it out, youre spending more money, when youre making no money because you have no horses. But the basement was the summer dining rooms and summer kitchen. Okay. In fact, my mother worked there. They cant do anything. 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. I dreamed, I saw it. Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY June 26, 1943. And I didnt realize it because I was always working. Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York, Kings, Long Island, and New Jersey (718) 966-7800 And then one of my brothers had just gotten out of the military. And not only that, we got a lot of manureI used to have it to put on all the gardens and to put on the fields and whatnot. And I did, I got in St. George wasnt it? Put through the years, people recognized it and everything. Is there anything, you think? Q: Yes. Theyre going out for the garbage. I said, No, no, no, Im trying to take them. So I took them and I had them all redone and reupholstered, and here they are. Dont remember what happened to it, right? Burke: One was a necklace with a heart on it. And I never got along with her that much because everything I wanted to do, she said, No, no, no, I dont like that. I woke up with a sweat. And all this beautiful stuff, I used to put in a big box. Thanks very much to you. But alls I know, they closed in New York and they moved out there. Daller: But it was the thing with the lilacs smell. What are we gonna do here? So he said, Well, I really love doing this, George. And I said, Okay, John, thats fine. Staten Island . Q: What do you think the role of this house is, in this part of Staten Island? And it never had a kitchen. I said, Oh shit, look at this. And I pulled that out and unwrapped it, and what the hell was in it? And then I decided Id get involved again with things that are going on. Burke: Anyway, she was well known here on Staten Island. Hes the man that built the house. So thank you. Betsy P. Thompson East Greenbush, New York. So we need to get help. And in order to have food and such, youd have to bring it up the back stairs. [laughs]. And it was one of those busy, busy, goddamn nights. Burke: About the candle? And I miss all those horses. And there was a big flight of stairs that went across the big porch across the front of the house, posts. It was a mess. And hes the one that did my portrait upstairs. Burke: Yes. So I couldnt take any of the clothes. Im sure some will. But I still have a lot of it. And each little petal and everything is done beautiful. They cant just say, The doors are open for anybody, just walk in! Somebody will walk in, and say, Oh, I like those chairs, pick them up, and take them, and theyll be gone. Mom, you own the house, you own at least part of it, or half of it. Located in Staten Island, NY. Q: No, that covers it! Daller: He enjoys the whole house. George Burke's White Party NEW! Burke: But what were we going into before I got into the architecture? Soon, nobody had room in their house to store anymore of my stuff. Right. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Staten Island, New York on facebook. And he dealed in antique rugs, and regular rugs and everything. And if you can capture and keep something that looks like this, then this is a big plus for the area. Q: So those things that you got later on, afterthey didnt come from Europe. 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. But you used tell me. And then, where they built the schoolwhat is that girls school up here? You couldnt see the grounds through the trees and it was just covered and everything. So coming back to it was a change. In good condition? The one in particular, United States Steel [Corporation]. And they were slate, the roof, and by walking on the slates, they broke and they slid off, and wherever they slid off, the rain poured through because it was holes. I was born on Oct. 11, 1930, one of nine siblings, to an. So I took that out of the brick and I got some cement, put it all back in, put the wall back up. Burke: I had a beautiful big old house in Tottenville that I loved. He got involved with riding there and was constantly riding. And my fatherwe were quite wealthy, growing up. That was a bigits still there. Well, it doesnt matter, her name. Daller: So can you imagine a three room apartment filled to the brim with antiques? Come here, Marge. I said, What? They said, Sell this goddamn place. Constantly. I restored that, and that was an old mansionan old pillar-fronted mansionlooked like the house, similar. I put the post on it up under the floor where the newer posts in the staircase was upstairs, and then, when I took the jack away, it sat on the post. 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