THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.
Last week, we began talking about castles and how many famous homes and buildings in American have influences from Europe.
But what about American influences?
There have been people in what we call the United States for thousands of years.
And they have been living in more than a cave for hundreds of those years.
Are there any American castles?
America’s First Castles
Everyone thinks castles are another import from Europe, but there were castles in America before there were pilgrims.
These Ancestral Puebloan ruins along the borders of Southern Colorado and Utah date to circa 1200 A.D. It is home to more than 2,500 people.
Around the same time, the Sinagua people are building this 20 room castle south of present-day Flagstaff and Sedona.
Visitors can no longer go inside, but the views from below are still worth the visit.
Chateauesque
Chateauesque (Chateau-Style) is an American architectural style that has inspiration from the monumental French châteauxs in the Loire Valley.
But unlike the French-inspired castles, it does not attempt to reproduce them.
It is a fresh new look at an old style. “In the style of.”
Unlike the French structures, Chateauesque buildings usually have an asymmetrical plan.
There are several breaks in the roof-line, and the facade has advancing and receding planes.
When it comes to ornamentation, there are many similarities. There are spires, elaborate towers, and roofs so steep you wonder how they fix them.
Of course, the sixteenth-century French chateau did not wholly invent their ornamentation. It is something they borrow from the late Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture.
America’s largest “house” towers in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina.
The 250-room structure took six years to build in 1889.
Frederick Law Olmsted designs the landscaping. Remember him from last week? (Central Park.) Formal gardens, wooden trails, stone bridges, and a 15-acre Azalea Garden are just part of the landscaping.
Also, today there is a winery and hotel rooms on the grounds.
Back to the Thousand Islands region, for a Chateau-style home with a German Rhineland influence.
At the age of 13, George C. Boldt immigrates with his family from Prussia. George begins working in a hotel kitchen. Before his hotel career ends, he will be responsible for building Philadelphia’s Bellview-Stratford.
Moving to New York, George manages the Waldorf Hotel for the owner, William Waldorf Astor.
Then he mediates the feud between William and his cousin John Jacob Astor IV. It seems John builds a competing hotel right next door, the Astoria.
Bolt’s solution is to merge the two hotels, and he becomes the manager of the first Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Can you imagine the castle he begins building in 1900 for his loving wife as a summer home?
Unfortunately, his wife Louise dies a few months before Boldt Castle’s completion. George halts construction and never returns. It will sit at the mercy of the elements for the next 70 years.
Circa 1977, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority inherits the property. First, they have to repair the damage, and then they complete the 120-room castle for the first time.
Currently, the grounds are open, offering tours of the various buildings or rental for special events.
Beginning in the Chateauesque style, this neighbor of The Breakers will have a multitude of them before they finish construction.
Single socialite Oliver Belmont builds this summer cottage circa 1894. It includes 50,000 square feet and 60 rooms.
Today, it is one of many properties you can tour, and should.
- Oheka Castle – (Otto Hermann Kahn)
On Long Island’s North Shore, the Otto Kahn Estate is home to a 109,000 square-foot Chateauesque castle. He makes a fortune in restructuring railroads and investment banking.
He may or may not be the model of Mr. Monopoly from the board game.
Currently, the 127 room property offers tours, luxury hotel rooms, dining, and spaces for private events.
American Castles
Why do we talk about American castles? There has never been a real king ruling from the United States.
Technically no, but there has been a kingdom on American soil.
Honolulu’s Iolani Palace, dating from circa 1882, was the official royal residence of King Kalakaua until 1893. Then the Hawaiian Monarchy falls from power. For almost 80 years, the building serves as the government capitol building for the Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii.
The architectural style is a mixture of Italian Renaissance and Hawaiian.
Currently, it serves as a museum of the palace and Hawaii’s history. It was never the office of Steve McGarrett as there is no Hawaii Five-0. Deal with it, Dan-o.
American Craftsman
An offshoot of the American Arts and Crafts movement, this homespun style begins during the last years of the 1800s. It starts small, with bungalows. Within twenty years, they are using it for American castles.
A shoe millionaire builds this castle on a hilltop in Moultonborough, New Hampshire circa 1914, and names it Lucknow.
After changing hands a few times, it is open to the public in 1959 as Castle in the Clouds. Over the years, it becomes more commercial, and the owners lose interest in the mansion.
Circa 2002, a local conservation trust, can purchase the estate and approximately 5,500 acres of the original 6,300. Currently, they offer home tours, dining, and event space rental during the summer months.
This 24-room castle was the vision, then home to William Hooker Gillette. The son of a senator, he enjoys a successful career as playwright and actor, a suggestion of neighbor Samuel Clemens.
Later, at the request of Conan Doyle, Gillette adapts his most famous character to the stage. He goes on to play the title character of Sherlock Holmes more than 1000 times. His dual salaries as author and star earn him several hundred thousand dollars, a lot of money in those days.
Gilette also draws the plans for his 1919 castle. Today the house is the centerpiece of a state park. House tours are available in the summer.
American Greek Revival
There are several “revivals” of Greek Architecture. The American version focuses on the temple with columns along the front.
1803, Thomas Jefferson appoints Benjamin Latrobe to design several public buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Capitol. The revival will spread and change.
- Winterthur (Winter Tour)
The house starts as a simple twelve room Greek-revival manor in 1839.
With every new generation, the family adds on to the house.
While growing family, wealth, and home, the Duponts amass an incredible collection of decorative arts requiring more room.
When the estate opens to the public in the 1960s, the house, sitting on 1,000 acres, has 175 rooms. The collection now numbers over 90,000 objects.
Currently, you can tour the house museum, enjoy the grounds, or rent space for special occasions.
American Castles Summary
This blog is not the ultimate list of American castles. There are coral castles and ones that resemble sandcastles.
What about the works of Frank Lloyd Wright? Although most of them have the term house, home, or cottage in their name, might they be castles? Many have the price tag of a castle. There are around 16 you can visit.
“Currently,” you can not visit any of these castles in person during the spring of 2020.
But you can vicariously on their web sites (orange links) or, better yet, start planning your trip today.
Read more about European-Inspired castles,
Scroll down to the “Please Leave a Reply” section at the bottom. Please tell me your thoughts on:
“What American castle would you like to visit?”
Please help me spread the news by rating, commenting, and sharing this blog below. – THANKS!
“See the World” Continued on Page T3. “Taste the World” Continued on T11.
The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina has long been on my list, and the Spring flower gardens have to be extraordinary. 15 acres of azaleas have to be impressive. Add to that list today is the Castle in the Clouds in New Hampshire. I am a big fan of the warmth and elegance of the Arts and Crafts architecture.
I have been touring Frank Lloyd Wright homes for the past couple of years. I would highly recommend those home tours – American “castles” – as soon as they reopen. Again, I loved all the pictures in today’s blog. So beautiful!
Such a fun read. Have seen the Biltmore in spring. Now would really like to visit at Christmas time.