Proposed mosque site has musical connection

When conductor Stephen Pomerantz raised his baton in the courtyard of Centerport's Vanderbilt Museum during the summer musical series of the 1980s and 1990s, he invariably thrilled audiences with string orchestra and ensemble concerts.

When he died in 2006, Pomerantz left an unusual legacy that is making the kind of noise he probably never expected.

The former haberdasher and Renaissance man who was also a Shakespeare scholar left a struggling estate that finally raised money by selling the Manhattan building two blocks from Ground Zero now at the center of the controversy over the Muslim community center.

"You never know the kinds of connections that are there [with people]," said Carol Hart, executive director of the Vanderbilt

She said she was surprised this week to hear of Pomerantz's connection to the building.

But violinist Susan Bentley who played with Pomerantz on Long Island, recalls him as a larger than life character - akin to Leonard Bernstein.

"Nothing surprises me so far as Steve was concerned," she said.

"He was a real talent scout," Bentley said, noting Pomerantz had a vast network of musical connections.

Pomerantz's father, Isidore, a clothing retailer, acquired the building centered at 45 Park Place from the old Hercules Powder Co. in 1967, records show.

Isidore's interest eventually passed to his sons Stephen and Melvin, records show.

In the 1990s, the property was leased to Burlington Coat Factory for retail space.

When the planes hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, part of a landing gear smashed through the roof, putting it out of commission.

Stephen Pomerantz tried to sell the building.

Accountant Arthur Yorkes of Manhattan, who worked briefly with Pomerantz, said the conductor and Shakespeare scholar was at one point looking for $14 million to $18 million for it.

Two or three potential buyers expressed interest but no deal was struck by the time Pomerantz died at age 75 on Dec. 31, 2006, remembered Yorkes.

Though a man of arts and letters, Pomerantz left an estate with insufficient liquid assets, Surrogate Court records show.

So when the developers of the Muslim center appeared in 2009 looking for space, Pomerantz's wife and executors of the estate approved sale of the family interest.

The price was $4.8 million, records show.