The buyers say they intend to preserve the Long Island landmark while continuing its hotel, wedding and events business.
HUNTINGTON, NY — Oheka Castle, the sprawling Gold Coast estate known for its Gilded Age architecture, celebrity weddings and appearances in movies, television shows and music videos, drew a winning bid of $72 million Tuesday after years of financial trouble and foreclosure proceedings.
The Oct. 27 auction marked a major turning point for the historic property, which has operated as a hotel and events venue while its ownership struggled with heavy debt. The transaction remains tied to federal bankruptcy proceedings and was expected to go before a bankruptcy judge for confirmation. The buyers have said they plan to preserve the castle and continue its existing hospitality and events operations.
Paul Alflen, identified by CBS New York as one of the new owners, said the group intends to keep the castle largely as it is and make improvements rather than dismantle the estate. Other reports identified Ronald Browning and Alflen, partners in Gold Coast Property & Estate Management, as the winning bidders. Seven bidders competed for the property, according to reports about the auction.
Oheka Castle sits on roughly 23 acres in Huntington and contains about 112,895 square feet. Concierge Auctions, which marketed the property, describes the French Renaissance-style château as a 127-room estate built between 1914 and 1919 for financier and arts patron Otto Hermann Kahn. Architects Delano and Aldrich designed the mansion, which later became one of the best-known surviving estates from Long Island’s Gold Coast era.
The property includes formal gardens, reflecting pools, grand entertaining rooms and dozens of guest suites. Its ballroom has a 24-foot ceiling, while its main staircase was inspired by the Château de Fontainebleau in France. The estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has undergone a restoration that the auction company said cost about $40 million.
The castle’s modern history has been closely tied to longtime owner Gary Melius, who acquired the deteriorating property in the 1980s and oversaw its restoration into a luxury hotel, catering operation and wedding venue. Melius told CBS New York that selling the property was necessary to address his debts. He described the outcome as the best result he could have hoped for despite his sadness at losing ownership.
Financial pressure had been building for years. The ownership entity, Kahn Property Owner LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2025 after a prolonged foreclosure dispute. Reports surrounding the auction said the property carried tens of millions of dollars in debt. A 2025 appraisal conducted during the bankruptcy process valued the estate at about $137 million, substantially above the $72 million winning bid before any applicable buyer premium.
The property also carries development potential beyond the castle itself. The Town of Huntington has approved plans allowing up to 95 luxury condominium units on approximately 5.13 acres on the southeast portion of the estate. That approval has drawn concern from some nearby residents about traffic, infrastructure and the effect of new construction on the surrounding community. Alflen told CBS New York that any planned development would be designed to have a limited visual effect on the property.
Oheka has remained a prominent wedding and entertainment venue despite its financial problems. The estate has appeared in productions including “Citizen Kane,” “Succession” and “Royal Pains,” and it was used as a filming location for Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” music video. Its long history as an event venue dates to the early 20th century, and existing weddings and other functions are expected to continue under the new ownership.
The winning bid gives Oheka Castle a path out of a long period of financial uncertainty, though the bankruptcy process still requires the sale to clear its remaining legal steps. The new owners have publicly said their immediate plan is to preserve the landmark, maintain its established operations and carry the property into its next chapter.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.