What a gorgeous home that was. I found a beautiful place in Tottenville and I opened it and called it the Tidewater Inn. Its a beautiful house. So after a couple of years going back and forth, his daughter, she decided she wanted to get involved in it. And their mansion, the White people that owned SS White, the White family, owned right across the creek, there, where the Captains Quarters [private development] are. And the only problem with that was the kitchen was downstairs. That house, it was a big French mansard, big Victorian. With that old fabric, theres enough to make drapes for one window. The real estate lady wouldnt come in. And I invested in a couple of things. The oldwhat the hell was itgrocery store. I bet. We came to an agreement. What were the things that you did when you were young? Daller: So not that much time was spent on Staten Island. I cant remember her name. And I just got a call from all my lady friends saying that my house is falling apart. And you can ask[gesturing to Daller], Daller: Everybody got something. 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. And she had this woman who was a caretaker. And it was one of those busy, busy, goddamn nights. The fact that the Seguine familythis was the farmhouse, their mansion was in Rossvilleand thats long gone. Im gonna save it, its a gorgeous house!. By the time I got to the to where they were discharging them and such, he had just been discharged and left on an airplane. Brother Bill? I would have saved it. See Photos. Burke: Well, I was always an antique collector. Burke: Yes. Staten Island was very early on, and then Florida, and then off to Europe. And he did the big sofa in there, didnt he? Q: Well, Im pretty much at the end of my questions. And I studied architecture and the history of design and everything, I know all that. Burke: Well, I hope it gets maintained. That came in part from the attorney. This the expensive piece of property! They sold it to the developers. It occurred to me that my home was one of the very few old mansions still existing on Staten Island and surely could be designated as a historical home, so I requested my attorney contact the Department of Parks. Q: So its confidential becauseoh, okay. You want to have someone living in it, you cant have an empty house. Youd have to see the house to see what Im talking about. Theyre piled up. Msgr. [laughs]. I had no idea that that was it, when I bought the house or anything. Parks appraised the grounds and house and divided the value half and half. And she was laying with her arms, like that. donations to honor George may be made to Tunnels to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10306. And I looked in the thing, I said, Holy shit. So I would go to the flea markets and things. So it was fascinating. So the next day, Im up and Im outside. And from the garden, you could come back in under the porch and down into the kitchen in the basement. And I took John in as a partner, but I owned the Old Bermuda Inn and the two buildings. And they copied that from France, because thats what it was, it was the French mansard. And I said, Oh, shit. And then when you could see the house, it was a goddamn mess. And he owned the funeral home. Dont remember what happened to it, right? I said, Where are you? She said, Well, I moved out years ago and went back to Georgia. In fact, her husband was a big-wig. 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. Daller: It just went right out of my head! Burke: Yes, I had to go down in the basement, and put a post, and then I had to jack up the stairs. Burke: Oh, well, when I was inI guess I was in England. 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. People, Oh, could you help me? And especially when I came to Staten Island and I was working for Sherwin Williams, andwhat the hell, Florence? Burke: Yes. All these empty buildings and things. Q: When you were youngwhen you were a kid. Because thats what I bought with the money. The family will receive friends . If you were at the water looking up here, you couldnt see the house. Before he left, the house was fine. But thats part of whats been going on down here. I went over there, and it was standing up sleeping! What the hell do you think it was? Burke: Well, Ill tell you, there wasnt that much in storagethe stuff that was in storage wasnt big pieces, maybe one or two. And, you know, who has that!? In lieu of flowers, donations to honor George may be made to Tunnels to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306. That works! Thankfully, no ones come here and said, Oh, you might have had slaves. I mean, Im sure if somebody came and decided to look back, theyd say, Oh, no, theres a reason for a house like that. People have ideals that are very strange. Burke: But anyway, it was a big beautiful cameo brooch, and was wrapped in an oil cloth rag! Daller: No, that still has to be discussed. Daller: As a matter of fact, we had an event years ago. And in the summer, he sits outside, enjoys the outdoors, enjoys the lawn, the grounds. [laughs] And I lived there for a long time. Q: And did you keep records of the restoration process? 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. Because you never finish, youre always finding something to do. Kitchens were always built in a house outside by themself, and a breezeway going to the house, because the kitchens would always burn down. Daller: You met some interesting people there. For an online guest book, please visit www.mcnamara-sparrell.com. And thats what they were doing in France to keep from getting it taxed. I come down the stairs and I opened the door. And I only have so much money being what I am. So he said, Dont worry about it. Pre-Planning Services; . We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. There was nine of us in the whole family. Linda? I mean, Captains Quarters, instead of building all those condos down there, it would have been beautiful to have another stately home there. And they were good investments. He had the military ship the items back to family members in New York City, a perk of military service that made moving his collection back to the States possible. They really dont know what history is all about. I dont know what it is. Well, on theon the fireplace there, those two big candelabras, theyre Meissen. (nee Rutecki) Laudeman. Daller: No. And a lot of people kept their horses in the stables. But the picture in the locket was all crumbled up. Daller: And that house was beautiful. What is a shame is some of the mansionsthe really, really ornate mansions that were torn down. And after he died the family still lived like we had my fathers money involved. Burke: After I had the house, then I got the big pieces of furniture. Burke: Her sister has it [indicating Daller]. Would you? Its unreal! Facebook gives people the power to. She came and did a lot for the draperies and everything here. Nobody wants to do that. Im going to get gifts now because Im staying in the house and Im going to fix it up.. So finally, I think, the old lady died, didnt she? Youre working too hard. 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. And thats what I did. Burke: years ago, because I couldnt afford to keep it. Theyll take care of it and be able to show tours. And hes the one that did my portrait upstairs. He upholstered that chair with the things in the back. And he was studying art and he painted my portrait that shell show you, thats upstairs. Thats the usual setup, I think, for historic houses. And that went for years. Daller: You werent here. And she said, George, do you know who this is? and with her big Southern accent. And I want somebody to take care of it. William M. Burke William "Bill" Burke, 84, was a native Staten Islander who loved nothing more than his family.. 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. Burke: Oh, when I was a kid, we lived in Annandale. My sisterher mother [indicates Daller], Francesmy sister living in the Bronx, she got me a little apartment and she got me a job working for Saks Fifth Avenue. Yun Fang Ma, age 75, of Staten Island, New York passed away on Thursday, April 6, 2023. But the other house, one of his friends was pushed down the stairs. And people were selling anything out of their house to support themselves and live. That was Mrs., what was her name? They moved in there, and they lived there. Because I wanted the man that built the house, and this is the man that saved the house. He then served as senior priest at St. Adalbert's, Staten Island. I mean, lets face it. . Burke: Hawaii. Now theyre worth a couple hundred-dollars apiece. So I run downstairs. Browse Staten Island Advance obituaries, conduct other obituary searches, offer condolences/tributes, send flowers or create an online memorial. Theres none of the spirits. Take a walk. I said, No, no, Im gonna save this house. He said, Oh! I bought those in Germany. And my uncle came in and was part of the whole group. John D. Burke, who was pastor emeritus of Holy Child parish on Staten Island, died Sept. 23. I mean, look, theyve been trying to get rid of the carriage horses in the city, for how long now? So I said, Well, Bess, if youre interested in doing it, Im interested in doing it.. But he was excellent. And what they did is they bought a whole fleet of old taxis. And all this beautiful stuff, I used to put in a big box. But thats what that was. She was great, I loved her. Q: Was that house that you restored in a similar condition as this house? Then upstairs, was all the bedrooms. Then she got to the point where she couldnt keep it anymore. I said I was the only person at that timemy uncle gave me my sweet sixteen there, and all my friends were invited to come formal. Were not going to stay and put up with these two people. So Id go over there and, of course, Bess Seguine was always over there. Loving son of Joan (Perry) Burke of Plymouth and the late George W. Burke. I dont need The Death of Cleopatra hanging above my fireplace. Its a real pretty smell. She said, Yes, its lilacs. She said Mrs. Whatever-her-name-was always had to have lilacs. So, unfortunately, there arent many people that care that way anymore. Hell utilize every room of the house. I remember you always loved it and liked it. It is, however, on a country-sized parcel that covers about 27 acres, which is remarkable in a neighborhood whose common lot size is measured in feet. 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.. I knew what she looked like, I knew where it was. 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. Ill give you a job. They bought a house. And you can put it together and fix it. Im getting rid of everything. He said, I have three of the most beautiful Persian carpets from Persia, said, You cant get them anymore. He said, Theyre antiques but they are brand new, never used. He said, Im giving them to you. And this is them. Q: Can you give me an example of one of the things that you worked on together in the house? And I lived there for quite a few years. But I had all this beautiful carved stuff. Well, he didnt want the bull with the little girl. And it was twice the size of this house. Burke: Mario Buatta and a couple of people of his friends that were just as big. And that was a kitchen, and that was bedrooms and a little living room, all up there. Burke: Oh, well, the Eskimos up there would give me beautiful mukluks and all kinds of things. 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. That was all what she had in mind! And she wanted to start running things and taking things over. And they said he had the box, and took it with them. 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. Thats the only way to explain it. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in the book. There isnt a room he doesnt go into. And so I had all that stuff in my apartment. I mean, I had a beautiful condo in Florida. If you dont want to come dont show up. And he said since hes been here, he has nobody here. And that was nothing but a little house that caught firewas just a little, little house. So every time she wants to go riding, she has to go all the way to New Jersey, ride her horse, and then come all the way back. Things like that? Daller: But he has albums upstairs, photos. Before he died, thats what he was. We had beautiful stuff in our home, all the time. Got a good price for a couple of other real estate pieces that I bought and fixed up and sold. And I said, What in the hell is this doing in my house? So I opened up the lid and there was this old lady laying in there, with this big lace collar around her neck, and her hair was puffed up behind her head, like that, was all gray. Where all the servants lived. And each little petal and everything is done beautiful. Q: So about this house, I wanted to ask about the Friends of the Seguine Mansion. Q: Can you tell me about moving the collections here, out of storage and out of your sisters houses into this house? And that guy, look at the size of that house he just built. Q: Okay. So I figured, hmm! So I went down in Rossville and I bought a beautiful, big old, rundown place and restored it completely. 174 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10075Phone: (212) 988-8379 | Fax: (212) 537-5571Contact Us: info@nypap.org. Since 1981, the house has been occupied by a native Staten Islander named George Burke. I have questions about closets too! And it was called SS White [Dental Manufacturing Company]. And that still is, today, one of the great places around here, the Old Bermuda Inn, and John still owns it. That was gorgeous. But I dreamt it and I knew every single thing about it. And theyd come out and Id get involved with them. Theyd come out and Id say, Look, I can get you this. All rights reserved (About Us). And Im looking at looking at it and I said, You know, thats the last house. I took forty-four big trees down in the front field just so you could clear the front and see the house. And whats going on up the street here now? Well, I was born on Staten Island. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Oct. 10, at 11 a.m. in the chapel of the John Cardinal O'Connor Pavilion . I had the house put back together. Come here, Marge. I said, What? They said, Sell this goddamn place. She was great because she would know. Oh, God. And he was stationed here, in St. George, and he would come home and wed live in the house. Or was that brother Ed? And they repaired all these taxis, repainted them, and then sold them all to Cuba. People that owned U.S. Steel, their mansion was over there. Everybody smelled like that. Well, by this time, I had a lot of money. And I kept life rights for it. Q: [laughs] How did you figure out what needed to be done with the house? to the family or plant a tree Burke: I think, what was left of it, the sons moved to California and they opened up a Scalamandr in California. They didnt even have soap. The stables were here for years. This was in the East Bronx, this was on 167th and College Avenue. But anyway, she said, Im not going in the house. Funeral Home website by. The only thing that will save this house as a bulldozer! [laughs] But anyway, I saved it. I restored all those buildings down in Tottenville, all those great old buildings. Theyd go in and theyd take the windows out and theyd use the windows, and they destroyed it. Utica. But anyway, she said, No, Im not going in. Father Burke was assigned to Sacred Heart from 1988 to 2003. George was a resident of Broxton, Georgia at the time of passing. I grew up loving it and always having it, and my mother was great with it. They cant do anything. 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. All these walls used to be white. Daller: Right, we really dont discuss any of that. You got to get out. So we moved to Florida. And I dream that I heard some noise. And then when we realized we were broke, all my brothers joined the military, got married, moved away. Right across the creek. Q: Was that here in the house? Tell us about your time in England.I went there at 19 and returned 12 years later. Beloved husband of Rosanna (Ialuna) Burke. IN THE CARE OF. I spent enough time breaking my back. She had a caretaker or she had a woman that took care of her, or something. Visiting hours Friday, October 8, 2021, from 4-7 pm in McNamara-Sparrell Funeral Home, 1 Summer St. (across from St. Anthony Church), Cohasset. Its been so long now. Burke: Oh, well, look what I did. And Ill see to it that, financially, things work out for the two of us. And the kitchen was outside. And then the people that moved out left a bunch of old furniture, and these were the two that they left. Must have been twelve big columns, it was, oh! Sofa in there, didnt she that much time was spent on Staten Island kid... Can get you this still lived like we had an event years ago beautiful, old! Left on the online obituary will be automatically included in the house please visit www.mcnamara-sparrell.com at 19 returned! 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