Once symbols of power, wealth and infamy, mob-linked mansions are now struggling to find their place in the modern real estate market.
These homes, steeped in history and intrigue, should be irresistible – but instead, they linger unsold, weighed down by their extravagant, outdated designs and the hefty price tags required to renovate them.
From Staten Island to Long Island and across the Hudson to Fort Lee, these properties tell a cautionary tale: sometimes, the only way to sell a mob mansion is to erase its past entirely.
The White House of Staten Island: Castellano’s Mansion
Take the Staten Island estate of late Gambino crime boss Paul “Big Paul” Castellano, located in Todt Hill.
Once listed for $27.4m (US$18m) – a price that would have shattered borough records – the sprawling 33,000-square-foot palace failed to attract a buyer and was pulled from the market yet again.
Designed to resemble the White House, complete with a pillared portico and circular drive, the property boasts indoor and outdoor Olympic-sized pools, a 13-car showroom garage, a home theatre, a gym with a sauna, a beauty salon, a wine cellar, and a solarium.
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Paul “Big Paul” Castellano, the former head of the Gambino crime family.
The grounds of Castellano’s one-time home are ornate — and perhaps not to a buyer pool’s liking.
Yet, its marble-heavy interiors and over-the-top customisation have proven to be more burden than benefit.
Tom Le, a local real estate agent who recently sold a record-breaking $13m (US$8.5m) home across the street, explains the challenge.
“There are no other homes in that area or all of Staten Island priced that much,” he told The Post.
He adds that “these homes are very expensive to renovate,” pointing out that “inside, the home is all marble, and so if anyone wants to renovate that it will be really expensive to do so”.
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The dining room with marble flooring.
Over-customisation, he said, narrows the field to buyers whose taste already aligns.
Melsa Skrapalliu, the real estate broker who reps the Castellano home, told The Post the owner will consider relisting the property after the holiday season.
Fort Lee’s Lost Fortress: Anastasia’s estate
Across the Hudson, the Fort Lee estate once owned by Albert Anastasia, the infamous head of Murder Inc., met an even grimmer fate.
Built in the late 1940s, the fortress-like home featured thick walls, multiple exits, and mid-century leisure amenities like bars, a theatre, and a spa.
Despite its dramatic history and prime location atop the Palisades – it was later owned by comedian Buddy Hackett and millionaire Arthur Imperatore – the parcel became three lots after it sold again in 2025 for $9.3m (US$6.1m).
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Albert Anastasia. Picture: Getty Images
The home came with stunning views.
Unfortunately, the house didn’t survive, being ultimately demolished to make way for a more modern development.
“The property was sold and the new owner obtained a three-lot subdivision,” real estate agent and councilman Joseph Cervieri told The Post, adding that the house was razed after a neighbour recorded an easement “to assure that her view of the NYC skyline would be unobstructed for posterity”.
The estate’s history was erased, leaving behind only the myth of what once stood there.
Reality TV ruins: Victoria Gotti’s Long Island mansion
On Long Island, Victoria Gotti’s Old Westbury mansion – a 6000-square-foot estate featured prominently in the reality show Growing Up Gotti – faced years of neglect and foreclosure.
Marble floors, gold-trimmed ceilings, chandeliers, and even a hidden room behind a built-in bookshelf couldn’t save the property from its downward spiral.
According to The Post, the property was first listed in 2013 for $3.8m (US$2.5m) but glided on and off market for over 10 years with various price adjustments.
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Victoria Gotti in TV show Growing Up Gotti.
Victoria Gotti is the daughter of Mafia boss John Gotti.
The home in an abandoned state. Picture: BigBankz/YouTube
After a federal raid in 2016, the property fell into neglect, sitting abandoned until it was foreclosed in 2022 after Gotti failed to make mortgage payments.
That year, it was purchased by JP Morgan Chase for around $4m (US$2.65m).
After years of delisting, relisting and price cuts, it finally sold again in 2024 for $1.7m (US$1.1m).
In interviews, Gotti’s extended family expressed shock.
“That house is so gorgeous … I can’t believe it only went for $1.1 million,” said Kim Gotti, the widow of John Gotti.
Brooklyn Reborn: Al Capone’s Childhood Home
Even Al Capone’s childhood home in Brooklyn couldn’t escape the need for reinvention.
The Park Slope brownstone underwent a complete gut renovation, transforming it into a modern townhouse with high-end finishes, open living spaces, and bespoke millwork.
Purchased for $2.8m (US$1.85m) in February 2024, the house was taken to the joists and was subsequently relisted in April for $9.5m (US$6.25m).
The price was adjusted to $9.1m (US$5.99m) two month later and finally went under contract in August that same year.
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Al Capone, right, sat in the front row at the Notre Dame and Northwestern Grid battle in Chicago on October 10, 1931. Picture: Associated Press
Listing agent Nadia Bartolucci underscored the extent of the transformation: the developer “did a complete ground-up renovation,” she told The Post, turning a once “uninhabitable” shell into a “triple-mint townhouse”.
The final sale price has not been disclosed.
The home now features four to five bedrooms, multiple baths, oversized windows, high ceilings, bespoke millwork, and finishes like Italian marble.
The Valley House: Capone’s New Jersey Hideout
The same lesson applies to Capone’s rumoured New Jersey hide-out, “The Valley House,” which finally sold in 2020 for around $2m (US$1.3m) after two listing cycles starting at $2.7m (US$1.75m).
Despite its Prohibition-era charm – including a hidden bar and period rooms – buyers ultimately paid for the land, not the lore.
The through-lines are clear. A notorious past neither guarantees value nor destroys it; it’s the product and pricing that matter.
Heavy customisation, especially when it’s outdated, becomes a liability.
And when a property is out of scale with its submarket, the options narrow to deep discounts, extensive renovations, or redevelopment.
For mob-linked mansions to live again, their past often must die first.
The story was originally published by The Post as: NYC-area Mafia mansions struggle to sell — for 1 reason you may not suspect
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