FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 19, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 41
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Imagine being named Ivan
and growing up being bullied
about it, but turning it around
with a fascination of Ivanhoe and
the world of King Arthur. Now,
this man has his castle and calls
himself “Sir Ivan.”
I had the pleasure of visiting
“Sir Ivan” (Ivan Wilzig) at his
home/castle, which sits atop a
winding road in Water Mill.
Making my way through the
gates of the 5-acre property, I
spotted a brilliantly painted hot
chartreuse pink and yellow limousine,
right out of the ‘60s, with
the word “Peace” boldly running
down the sides of the car. It’s a
“wow” moment seeing it.
I soon learned that peace is a
theme that Ivan has embraced
personally. He wears a gold chain
around his neck with a large
peace sign. Ironically, I
bought an identical necklace
for my son Josh’s dad
and, since his passing, Josh
now wears it.
Th e property also has
peace signs embedded
in tiles around the
house and he’s added
“Peaceman” to his name.
I was invited to Ivan’s
hideaway by a new
friend: Riverhead’s
Town Supervisor Yvette
Aguiar. She had written
about him and when she
had told me about Ivan
and his castle, I immediately
told her, “I must
meet him!” And so I did!
In fact, Sir Ivan is the
son of Holocaust survivor
Siegbert Wilzig, who
worked his way to enormous
success as a philanthropist,
fi rst starting as
a door-to-door salesman
before becoming a banker and
eventually selling his bank to
North Fork
Bank. Ivan was
a banker in pinstriped
suits, working
with his dad until they
both “retired” and Ivan
began a new life.
He and his brother Alan
created a wonderland with
a spectacular infi nity pool,
a purple tennis court and
a basketball court with a
gold-painted hoop and
boundary lines. Th ere is
even a moat leading up to
the front castle door.
As Yvette and I toured
the house, we glimpsed
Ivan’s wardrobe, which
consists of numerous specialty
cape jackets that he
wears in his other role as an
award-winning recording artist,
philanthropist and host of
extraordinary parties.
Ivan takes pride in calling himself
“Peaceman” and fulfi lling his
dream to be an entertainer, singer,
dancer and a giving person.
We all enjoyed a poolside
lunch warmed by the sun and
the hospitality of our generous
host. What a great time we had!
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Quality time with ‘royalty’
The scene of Ivan’s famous parties. Music can
even be heard in the pool underwater.
The “Peaceman” in
his “peace mobile.”
One of Ivan’s party
dress capes.
Yvette and Ivan enjoyed lunch
prepared by Ivan’s private chef.
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