Leona Helmsley Mausoleum — Attraction in Town of Mount Pleasant

19SEPT.2024 “Queen of Mean” as she so arrogantly stated, "We don't pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes" real name her Polish-Jewish house maker mother and hat maker father gave her, Lena Mindy Rosenthal. Dropping out of high school and working for a real estate company and forced tenants to buy condominiums and several of the tenants sued her and won. She was forced not only to compensate the tenants but to give them three-year leases. Her real estate license was also suspended after that.

Her marriage to Harry H. saved her(Harry divorced his wife of 33 years and married Lena)career. And she was a mistress to the original Mrs. Helmsley’s husband. So Lena focused on Harry’s millions in his hotels and when he died she got all his money. Not bad for a high school drop out. The looses the Empire State building due to her disrespect of NOT paying taxes. Acting privileged and that she was better than everyone. Mistreating waiters and builders…The slightest mistake was usually grounds for firing, and Helmsley was known to shout insults and obscenities at targeted employees just before they were fired. Lena was forced to give up control of her hotel empire, since most of her hotels had bars and New York did not allow convicted felons to hold alcohol licenses. She was convicted of tax evasion and charged on Tax Day! Only sentenced 16 yrs and only served 19 months in prison and then released to do 2 months of house arrest.

After allegations of non-payment were made by contractors hired to improve Helmsley's Connecticut home. When the final bill came to $13,000, she refused to pay, citing shoddy workmanship. When McCarthy pleaded with her to honor the bill, citing the favor done on his behalf and informing her that Brennan had six children to support, Lena replied, "Why didn't he keep his pants on? Then he wouldn't need the money."

After a week at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel, she was entombed next to Harry Helmsley in a mausoleum constructed for $1.4 million[43] and set on ¾-acres in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Westchester County, New York. Among the few distinctive features of the mausoleum are three wall-embedded stained-glass windows, in the style of Louis Comfort Tiffany, showing the skyline of Manhattan. Leona Helmsley was known for not liking dirt, and left $3 million for the 1,300-square-foot family mausoleum to be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year". Stupid money and she shouldn’t be buried in...

For those coming to visit the historic Sleepy Hollow cemetery and looking to do the full tour of the rich and famous buried here, you cannot leave without a visit to the Helmsley family mausoleum. Tucked away behind a hill in the northeast corner of the cemetery, this monument rivals many of the earlier structures set atop the central hill. Much has been written about Leona and I will not repeat those stories here, but we were curious if her dog was also buried here. Peering though the glass in the door upon the tomb's interior illuminated through stained glass depicting the New York City skyline, they did own the Empire State Building at one point, one will only discover inscriptions to two individuals, Leona and her husband Harry. Apparently despite being cremated, and against her wishes, the remains of animals cannot be interred in human cemeteries in the state...

Leona and her husband are buried and you can see inside the mausoleum. The NYC skyline is gorgeous in the daylight, shining inside on all 4 sides. The etchings on their graves inside...