How much would you pay for an iconic Gold Coast mansion? Oheka Castle is the prize at an auction in Manhattan on Tuesday as seven unidentified bidders try to answer that question.
Ultimately, the winning bid was $72 million.
There are mixed emotions in the community surrounding the castle.
“People are grieving the loss of Gary,” said local civic leader Gail Snyder. “He was a great neighbor.”
Gary Melius bought the abandoned and crumbling mansion 42 years ago for $1.5 million and spent tens of millions of dollars restoring the structure first built in 1919 by financier Otto Herman Kahn.
Oheka Castle has been the backdrop for Taylor Swift’s music videos and countless movies and television shows. It has also been the venue for many weddings over the years.
Jo Von is a New York photographer who has photographed about 100 weddings in Oheka.
“That was his home and he really enjoyed being a part of the castle,” Feng told News 4 of the mansion’s restoration. “He is the castle.”
Millions of dollars in debt forced Melius to declare bankruptcy in 2025, leading to Tuesday’s auction.
A longtime Oheka executive took to social media with a message to the new owners.
“Oheka is more than just a property. It is a treasure that belongs to everyone who walks through its doors.”
Snyder said she and her neighbors are now opposing an approved plan to build 95 apartments on the Oheka property.
The multi-million dollar project appears to be a huge draw for bidders vying for the castle.
“We would be happy if it was financially viable without additional development,” Snyder said.