Gary Melius

It’s a classic story of being at the right place with the right price. Gary Melius, a successful Long Island developer, bought Otto Kahn’s fabled Oheka Castle and the remaining 23 acres of the financier’s estate for a mere $1.5 million in 1984, and the rest is history. Over the years, he’s made the French-style mansion the Island’s most luxurious wedding palace for fairy tale nuptials and is host to the rich and famous. Melius has managed to keep revenues in the multi-million mark year after year, despite the Great Recession that has dogged many other high-end venues. The classy castle is part of the Five Star Alliance and the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group, where the powerful and the plentiful gather in lush surroundings that recall the glorious days of the Gold Coast at its best. From his card games to his noteworthy power lunches, to his politicking for the Independence Party line, Melius carries on in a tradition and style that Kahn would surely applaud.

Inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2013