Inside Frank Costello's Home: Rare Photos of Domestic Life with Lauretta Geigerman
By Robert Thorne
By the 1930s, Costello had transitioned from bootlegger to political power broker. His domestic headquarters reflected that shift in stature. The couple took up residence at 115 Central Park West, inside the legendary Majestic apartments. The building featured twin Art Deco towers overlooking the park, housing affluent professionals, artists, and financiers.
Archival photographs of the interior reveal a calculated domestic setting. As documented in retrospective photo surveys of mob domesticity published by Architectural Digest, the Costello-Geigerman home was free of street-level vulgarity. Geigerman selected custom French Provincial furnishings, deep mahogany bookcases, and thick imported rugs that dampened street noise. Visitors saw grand pianos, framed oil landscapes, and silk upholstery rather than the stereotypical trappings of criminal excess.
Costello ran quiet meetings here over afternoon highballs, but Geigerman strictly guarded the domestic boundary. Federal surveillance logs noted that while Costello regularly hosted figures like James J. Hines and underworld lieutenants, Geigerman spent her days managing staff, antiquing along Madison Avenue, and visiting exclusive Fifth Avenue department stores.
| Location & Property | Time Period | Primary Role in Their Life |
|---|---|---|
| 115 Central Park West (The Majestic), Manhattan | 1930s, 1957 | Urban base; curated by Lauretta for political entertaining and quiet high-society living. |
| Sands Point Country Estate, Long Island | 1940s, 1973 | Private sanctuary featuring extensive floral gardens and complete insulation from mob unrest. |
| Waldorf Astoria Towers Suite, Manhattan | Downsized luxury residence following the 1957 lobby assassination attempt and federal investigations. |
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