It\u2019s an offer buyers keep refusing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ornate Staten Island mob mansion that just can\u2019t find a buyer is back on the market, again.<\/p>\n
This time it has a price tag of $13.995 million, a steep markdown from its $18 million ask that flopped in 2024.<\/p>\n
Built in 1980 by Gambino crime boss Paul \u201cBig Paul\u201d Castellano, the Todt Hill \u201cWhite House\u201d \u2014 called such as he had the residence designed to resemble the White House with a pillared portico and circular drive \u2014 at 177 Benedict Road spans 33,000 square feet with eight en-suite bedrooms and 17 bathrooms.<\/p>\n
Castellano\u2019s former property\u00a0aimed to fetch<\/a>\u00a0$16.8 million in October 2023, and then came back online with an\u00a0$18 million<\/a>\u00a0price in late-2024.<\/p>\n Paul Castellano lived at 177 Benedict Road in Staten Island at the time of his 1985 death.Bettmann\/Getty ImagesWhen the mob boss lived at the property, the residence was approximately 11,000 square feet and sat on a 31,386-square-foot lot. Today, the house at 177 Benedict Road is approximately 33,000 square feet on 67,923 square feet of land.Realtor.com<\/p>\n The 25-room mansion, which sits on nearly 1.6 \u00a0acres with sweeping Verrazzano Bridge views, boasts indoor and outdoor Olympic-sized pools, a 13-car garage, a home theater, a gym with a sauna, a beauty salon, a wine cellar, a solarium and a lot of marble.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anywhere near the new asking price would still shatter Staten Island\u2019s single-home sales record, which was set by 176 Benedict Road, directly across the street from Castellano\u2019s property. That closed in 2025\u00a0for $8.5 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n Castellano designed the residence to resemble the White House.Realtor.comThe current ownership has spent years expanding, transforming and continually improving the estate into what it is today, according to the listing agent.Realtor.comThe house has 25 rooms and two kitchens.Realtor.comPaul Castellano, leader of one of New York\u2019s crime families, arrives at Manhattan Federal Court for “The Commission” trial on February 27, 1985.Yvonne Hemsey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cAt $13.995 million, we believe we\u2019re positioned much more consistently with the market and with where we ultimately expect the property to trade,\u201d listing agent PreReal Real Estate\u2019s Rob Nixon, who marketed the property along with Anthony Volpe, told The Post. \u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s important to put that number in perspective; we estimate the replacement cost of an estate of this scale and caliber today would be upwards of $30 million.\u201d<\/p>\n The Staten Island Advance was the first to report on\u00a0news of the listing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Castellano commissioned it in 1976, after succeeding his brother-in-law, Carlo Gambino, as the syndicate\u2019s don. Completed in 1980, Castellano lived and ran the family from there, until his 1985 death. John Gotti had him whacked outside of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan.<\/p>\n Coffered ceilings, ornate moldings and multiple fireplaces extend throughout the mansion.Realtor.comThe property includes ample outdoor space.Realtor.comThere is an outdoor and indoor pool.Realtor.com<\/p>\n The owner, Selim \u201cSal\u201d Rusi, bought Castellano\u2019s former home for $3.1 million in 2000. An immigrant from Albania, Rusi built his success as a self-made entrepreneur.<\/p>\n While Rusi doesn\u2019t want to lean into the house\u2019s notorious past, Nixon said its history \u201ccan\u2019t be ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed out the modern face-lift given to the estate since its mob-boss days, including tripling the size of the former residence on more than twice the property from Castellano\u2019s days.<\/p>\n \u201cMost recently,\u201d Nixon said, \u201cthey completed an over $1 million kitchen on the lower level of the home. Importantly, this is the estate\u2019s second kitchen, not its primary kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n As for listing the home during the slow summer season, Nixon said, \u201cWith a conventional home, seasonality can certainly play a larger role. We don\u2019t view 177 Benedict Road as a conventional listing.\u201d<\/p>\n Discover more stories. Read the latest real estate news at New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n