American Castles Mimic Their European Forebears

By Victor Block

If the word "castle" conjures up images of turreted medieval strongholds scattered around Europe, that's no surprise. Beginning in the 11th century, rulers there built fortresses to demonstrate their wealth and power and provide safety from attack.

An estimated 25,000 such citadels still stand in Germany, about 11,000 throughout France and 1,500 in the United Kingdom. A visit to these bastions provides an immersion in intriguing -- and at times violent -- chapters of history.

People in the United States can capture the color and enjoy the ambience that a castle offers without traveling internationally. A choice of opulent chateaus awaits exploration from coast to coast.

These edifices are not as old as the magnificent structures they mimic, but their designs often were inspired by centuries-old European originals. Hammond Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking Gloucester, Massachusetts, harbor brims with features and furnishings brought back from ancient European buildings.

Constructed between 1926 and 1929 by inventor John Hays Hammond Jr., it has doors that once graced a church, courtyard decorations dating back to the 14th century and a collection of Roman artifacts.

In the mid-1900s, the Bishop's Palace in Galveston, Texas, served as home to a Catholic prelate. It had been made of stone and steel near the close of the 18th century for a lawyer and politician, and it was sturdy enough to withstand the hurricane that in 1900 destroyed much of the city. Among ornate touches in the opulent interior are stained-glass windows and decorative wood carvings.

Architectural attractions are one claim to fame of the colorfully named Castello di Amorosa (castle of loving) in California. Another is that it doubles as a winery. Set amid rolling fields blanketing by grapevines, it has a barrel cellar and tasting rooms. The owner spent time in Europe sketching and photographing medieval castles and palaces and incorporated design details into his replica. The moat, drawbridge and defensive tower are faithful to the 12th- and 13th-century period. The somewhat gruesome torture chamber displays devices once used to cause pain and suffering.

A treasure of collectibles also resides at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. Publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst was known as quite an accumulator, and many acquisitions -- architectural elements from Europe, entire monasteries, a medieval barn -- were installed into his huge home.

The dramatic dwelling also attracted dignitaries from the worlds of both entertainment -- the likes of Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo -- and politics, including Calvin Coolidge and Winston Churchill. While Hearst commissioned his architect, Julia Morgan, to build something "comfortable," the estate offered guests a choice of tennis, golf, horseback riding and the "most sumptuous swimming pool on earth."

Given that New York long has been a center of wealth in the United States, it's not surprising that the state hosts several notable castles. One is located in the heart of the city on top of a rock outcropping in Central Park. Completed in 1872, Belvedere Castle was situated to provide views of the surrounding woodlands, ponds and cityscape.

Like a number of structures in Central Park, Belvedere served several purposes over time. In 1919, for example, the U.S. Weather Bureau converted it into a weather station.

Lyndhurst also occupies a parklike setting, overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, on land previously used as hunting grounds by the Lenape-Munsee Native Americans. Commissioned in 1838 by William S. Paulding Jr., a retired military officer and politician, it was nicknamed "Paulding's Folly" because of the fanciful turrets and uncharacteristic asymmetrical outline.

Those who visit Bannerman's Castle on a tiny island in the Hudson River expecting to find an extant edifice may be disappointed, but the remaining ruins of a former fortress have their own interesting story to tell. The atoll once provided safety for people seeking to escape from attacking Native American tribes who believed it to be haunted.

Francis Bannerman, a Scottish American munitions merchant, bought the land and in 1918 completed a castle that he used as a military arsenal. While much of the structure, which mimicked a medieval Scottish fortress, was destroyed by a fire, its remains add to the lore and lure of castles throughout the United States.

My personal favorite is Boldt Castle, which sits on an island in the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. Alighting from the tour boat that transports sightseers, I was dwarfed by what was one of the largest private homes in the nation when it was built, and moved by the story of its construction.

George Boldt, proprietor of the famous Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, planned the castle as a gift to his wife, but when she died in 1904, he called work to a halt. The unfinished castle and other stone structures suffered from harsh winter weather until, in 1977, a nonprofit corporation acquired the island and began restorations.

I was awestruck by the renovated six-story masonry castle as I strolled through the furnished first and second floors. Even more enticing to me was the separate Power House, originally built to hold a steam generator whose walls are lined with historic photographs of the castle and the Thousand Islands region of New York.

The nearby Alster Tower is believed to have been modeled after a turret constructed in Germany in 1895, even to the slanting, uneven walls, ceilings and roof. It was intended to provide a choice of recreational activities for guests and included a two-lane bowling alley, library, billiard room and theater.

WHEN YOU GO

www.hammondcastle.org

www.galvestonhistory.org

www.castellodiamorosa.com

www.hearstcastle.org

www.centralparknyc.org

www.lyndhurst.org

www.bannermancastle.org

www.boldtcastle.com

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Victor Block is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.