But LICH only has room for his head, not the marble slab behind it, which also has memorable value: Its 38-year-old designer married Dr. Skene's 60-year-old widow in 1903.

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"Crystal chandeliers and marble lobbies are not what buyers are looking for today, " he said.

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In their defense, the physical aspects of the property are wonderful and the rooms lavish, which proves that anyone with sufficiently deep pockets can build a monument to marble, but not everyone can deliver of service.

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If not, we would still be chiseling perfectly proportioned human figures out of marble.

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There was evidence of fussy attention to Brooklyn detail the arena food stands were local establishments like Fatty 'Cue, Blue Marble, Brooklyn Pharmacy and Calexico. (If this is not the good old Brooklyn you remember, please be assured there's also a Nathan's, and a Junior's.) Behind the counters, I peeked at some prices.

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Mr. Siegel says business at his closely held timeshare company is now strong, and that he plans to resume construction on Versailles, beginning with nearly 300 crates of marble for the home's exterior.. "I'm not motivated to sell it, " he says.

WSJ: 'Queen of Versailles': House on the Market, Film on the Screen

In repose, its heavy, squared-off mass seems to have been sculpted by Epstein or Gaudier-Brzeska, while the clean curve of nose and brow offers the pagan profile not of a movie actor but of a Greek wrestler, bashed in life and purified in marble.

NEWYORKER: Miles To Go