Irene Silverman was a wealthy widow who lived in a multi-million dollar townhouse in the Upper East Side of New York City. She was well-known for her lavish lifestyle, generous personality, and passion for needlework. But how did she accumulate such a fortune and what happened to her estate after her tragic murder? This article will explore the net worth of Irene Silverman and the legacy she left behind.
From Showgirl to Socialite
Irene Silverman was born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York. She had a humble upbringing and worked as a chorus girl in Broadway shows. She married Samuel Silverman, a real estate developer, in 1941 and moved to a luxurious apartment in Manhattan. Samuel Silverman was a successful businessman who owned several properties in New York, including the townhouse at 20 East 65th Street, which he bought for $200,000 in 1951
Irene Silverman enjoyed the high society life and became a prominent socialite. She hosted extravagant parties with expensive champagne and caviar, and mingled with celebrities and politicians. She also developed a love for needlework and collected rare and antique textiles from around the world. She had a dream of turning the ground floor of her townhouse into a needlework museum, dedicated to her mother, who was an accomplished seamstress and embroiderer
The Townhouse of Treasures
The townhouse at 20 East 65th Street was the crown jewel of Irene Silverman’s estate. The five-story, 21-room limestone mansion was valued at $15 million in 2000. It was decorated with exquisite furniture, paintings, sculptures, and chandeliers. It also housed Irene Silverman’s impressive collection of needlework, which included tapestries, quilts, samplers, and costumes. Some of the pieces dated back to the 16th century and were worth thousands of dollars each.
Irene Silverman loved her townhouse and wanted to share it with others. She decided to rent out some of the rooms to wealthy clients, after conducting a thorough background check. She charged $6,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and $10,000 a month for a two-bedroom suite. She had a loyal staff of housekeepers, butlers, and chauffeurs, who catered to her and her tenants’ needs. She also had a security system with cameras and alarms, to protect her and her belongings.
The Murder Mystery
Irene Silverman’s life came to a sudden and tragic end on July 5, 1998, when she disappeared from her townhouse. She was 82 years old at the time. Her weekend housekeeper, Aracelis Riviera, was the first to notice her missing, when she found the locked door to her room. The staff managed to break into the room, but the elderly woman was nowhere to be found. The police were notified and launched a massive search operation, but they never found her body.
The prime suspects in the case were Sante and Kenneth Kimes, a mother-and-son duo of con artists and murderers, who had rented a room in Irene Silverman’s townhouse under the alias of Manny Guerrin. They had forged a deed signing the home over to themselves, and planned to sell it for a huge profit. They had also stolen Irene Silverman’s identity and bank accounts, and tried to access her safety deposit box. They were arrested in a hotel in Manhattan, where the police found a gun, a stun gun, handcuffs, and documents related to Irene Silverman’s estate.
The Kimes were convicted of murdering Irene Silverman and several other crimes, and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. They never confessed to the crime or revealed the location of Irene Silverman’s body. They both died in prison, Sante in 2014 and Kenneth in 2015.
The Estate Sale
After Irene Silverman’s death, her estate was left to the Coby Foundation, a charitable organization that she had co-founded with her tax consultant, Gus Mavroudis, to support the clothing arts and create a needlework museum. She had willed all her possessions, including her townhouse and more than $1 million in assets, to the foundation.
However, the Coby Foundation decided to sell the townhouse in 2000, for $15 million, citing the high maintenance costs and the difficulty of running a museum. This decision angered some of Irene Silverman’s friends and former staff, who claimed that she had wanted the townhouse to be preserved as a museum, and that she had enough income from the rentals to cover the expenses.
The townhouse was bought by a private investor, who renovated it and sold it again in 2008, for $32 million. It was then bought by Carlos Slim, a Mexican billionaire and one of the richest men in the world, who reportedly paid $44 million for it in 2010. The townhouse remains one of the most expensive and exclusive properties in New York City.
The Coby Foundation used the proceeds from the sale of the townhouse to fund annual grants promoting the clothing arts in the Greater New York area. It also donated some of Irene Silverman’s needlework collection to various museums and institutions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Legacy of Irene Silverman
Irene Silverman was a remarkable woman who lived a rich and full life. She was a showgirl, a socialite, a philanthropist, and a collector. She had a net worth of millions of dollars, but she was also generous and kind. She had a passion for needlework, but she was also adventurous and curious. She had a dream of creating a museum, but she was also realistic and practical. She was a victim of a brutal crime, but she was also a survivor and a fighter.
Irene Silverman’s net worth is not just measured by the money she had, but by the impact she had on the people and the world around her. She left behind a legacy of beauty, culture, and charity, that will continue to inspire and benefit generations to come.