It’s an offer buyers keep refusing.
The ornate Staten Island mob mansion that just can’t find a buyer is back on the market, again.
This time it has a price tag of $13.995 million, a steep markdown from its $18 million ask that flopped in 2024.
Paul Castellano lived at 177 Benedict Road in Staten Island at the time of his 1985 death. Bettmann Archive
When 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. Connie Profaci Real Estate
Built in 1980 by Gambino crime boss Paul “Big Paul” Castellano, the Todt Hill “White House” — called such as he had the residence designed to resemble the White House with a pillared portico and circular drive — at 177 Benedict Road spans 33,000 square feet with eight en-suite bedrooms and 17 bathrooms.
Castellano’s former property aimed to fetch $16.8 million in October 2023, and then came back online with an $18 million price in late-2024.
The 25-room mansion, which sits on nearly 1.6 acres 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.
Castellano designed the residence to resemble the White House. PreReal Real Estate
The current ownership has spent years expanding, transforming and continually improving the estate into what it is today, according to the listing agent. PreReal Real Estate
The house has 25 rooms and two kitchens. Connie Profaci Real Estate
Paul Castellano, leader of one of New York’s crime families, leaves Federal Court after making bail in New York City on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 1985. AP
Anywhere near the new asking price would still shatter Staten Island’s single-home sales record, which was set by 176 Benedict Road, directly across the street from Castellano’s property. That closed in 2025 for $8.5 million.
“At $13.995 million, we believe we’re positioned much more consistently with the market and with where we ultimately expect the property to trade,” listing agent PreReal Real Estate’s Rob Nixon, who marketed the property along with Anthony Volpe, told The Post. “At the same time, it’s 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.”
The Staten Island Advance was the first to report on news of the listing.
Castellano commissioned it in 1976, after succeeding his brother-in-law, Carlo Gambino, as the syndicate’s 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.
Coffered ceilings, ornate moldings and multiple fireplaces extend throughout the mansion. Connie Profaci Real Estate
The property includes ample outdoor space. PreReal Real Estate
There is an outdoor and indoor pool. Connie Profaci Real Estate
The owner, Selim “Sal” Rusi, bought Castellano’s former home for $3.1 million in 2000. An immigrant from Albania, Rusi built his success as a self-made entrepreneur.
While Rusi doesn’t want to lean into the house’s notorious past, Nixon said its history “can’t be ignored.”
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’s days.
“Most recently,” Nixon said, “they completed an over $1 million kitchen on the lower level of the home. Importantly, this is the estate’s second kitchen, not its primary kitchen.”
As for listing the home during the slow summer season, Nixon said, “With a conventional home, seasonality can certainly play a larger role. We don’t view 177 Benedict Road as a conventional listing.”
