The owners of a historic castle in New York just filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
Oheka Castle–located on Long Island's famed Gold Coast–is rich in history, cultural influence and even cameos in some of Hollywood's biggest hits, including Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" music video. But several local reports cite recent court documents filed late last week that show the venue is entering into Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
According to local Long Island Business News (LIBN) reporters, the filing comes from an entity of Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle, as a "last-ditch effort to stop a foreclosure sale of the property," which was scheduled to be foreclosed on by its lender this Thursday, Aug. 7, per court documents reviewed by LIBN.
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Taconic Capital bought the defaulted mortgage note on the castle in 2023, about a decade after Melius had defaulted on the $28 million commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loan. Taconic reportedly purchased the defaulted mortgage note on the castle for around $25 million, according to real estate sources that spoke with the publication.
At the time of the 2023 deal, Melius hinted that filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy would be part of the plan to fight it and preserve his plans to breathe new life into the property with the development of luxury condos, and it appears to be working as local reporters confirmed this week's scheduled sale of the property to Taconic Capital had been cancelled.
Now, the future of the French chateau-style castle built over a century ago by financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn remains unclear, though both parties appear interested in seeing the proposed condos come to fruition.
Attorney Joseph Maniscalco, of LaMonica Herbst & Maniscalco, told LIBN that Melius "will continue to own and operate his iconic venue while concurrently finalizing a multi-year plan to develop luxury condominiums on the property. We intend to work with all parties and the court to successfully emerge from Chapter 11."
“I purchased the property in 1984 when it was an abandoned shell of a building,” Melius wrote separately in the bankruptcy filing reviewed by LIBN. “Since that time, it has been a labor of love of mine and I have literally put my blood sweat and tears into restoring and improving the property. From the beginning, I created a beautiful destination venue that provides luxurious scenery, quiet appeal, and an actual feel of a castle; it is a premier wedding destination.”
A rep for Taconic Capital did not immediately respond to the outlet's request for comment.
The landmark has served as the location of many celebrity weddings, including that of Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd, Kevin and Danielle Jonas, and Tiffany Panhilason and Adam Schmidt. And when it wasn't hosting massive matrimony ceremonies for the stars, over the years, it became a place for them to flock for whatever reason, with the castle's website holding pages upon pages of A-list guest names, including Dolly Parton, Adam Sandler, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Natalie Portman, Patti Lupone, Meryl Streep, Wu-Tang Clan,Heidi Klumand so many more.
As for its cameos in Hollywood, fans may recognize it from Citizen Kane (1941), The Great Gatsby Documentary (2000), The Emperor's Club (2002), or What Happens in Vegas (2008). It also made several appearances on the small screen, being featured in FX's The Americans, USA Network's Royal Pains, HBO's Succession, The CW's Gossip Girl, SyFy's Happy and too many other titles to name.
And though it may seem like a tale straight out of Hollywood, a real-life horror story unraveled on the 126-room Huntington property in February 2014, when Melius survived an attack from a gun-wielding assailant who shot him in the face. His attacker is still unknown.
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