LI wedding hotspot Oheka Castle files for bankruptcy with $63M bill

The owner of an iconic Long Island castle has filed for bankruptcy.

Oheka Castle in Huntington is known for its lavish weddings and high-profile appearances in TV and film.

The 109,000-square-foot chateau was built in the 1920s and includes a hotel, a restaurant and event spaces. The recent Chapter 11 filing is an effort by owner Gary Melius to save the famous site from foreclosure, Newsday reported.

The landmark property has just $57.27 in its checking account and zero cash on hand, according to court documents filed in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York. Its ownership entity, Kahn Property Owner LLC, owes a reported $63.5 million to creditors. 

Owner Melius said in a court statement that he filed for bankruptcy in order to preserve the value of the estate, rather than see it sold at auction.

Melius purchased the grand estate in 1984 and still lives there. He made headlines in 2014 when he survived a suspected assassination attempt outside of the castle. That case remains unsolved. 

Melius told Newsday that he’s been in foreclosure for a decade, and was at risk of losing the property this week. He shared that he could no longer keep the banks and lenders “at bay.”

A joint statement released by Oheka Castle’s communications director and a representative of its largest secured creditor, reported by Newsday, said that customers can expect all bookings, hotel accommodations and events to proceed without disruption. A Chapter 11 filing entails a process of financial reorganization, rather than total liquidation. 

“The weddings are all still on,” Melius told the outlet.

The historic castle is not wanting for assets. Court filings revealed a total of $92.8 million in assets, including machinery, equipment and vehicles, in addition to the property itself.

Its Versailles-like gardens and opulent facade also made it one of top wedding venues in Long Island, hosting weddings for the likes of Kevin Jonas and Anthony Weiner. 

Productions throughout the decades have also scouted the lavish hotel for popular movies and TV shows. It served as the set for Xanadu in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane,” HBO’s “Succession” and even a Taylor Swift music video for the song “Blank Space.”