|
|
|
* Old print of BOLDT CASTLE [HOME]
[CASTLE
- PAGE 1] [CASTLE
- PAGE 3] [CASTLE
- PAGE 4]
|
 The
Castle:
From the foundation level of the indoor swimming pool to the highest
tower, Boldt Castle rises six stories in height. The castle's
120+ rooms were served by an elevator. The Castle itself was modeled
after buildings of the 16th century, with classical details
applied to the towered, medieval forms, combining traditional elements
with such modern features as large, plate glass windows and extensive
wrap-around porches. Fireproof construction was provided by
using steel and concrete roofs and floors. The castle's massive
granite walls were ornamented with decorative details of cast terra
cotta, and roofs were tiled with the same material. The front of
the castle (facing Alexandria Bay) extends 160 feet. The average
depth is no less than 170 feet. |
Photo from North Side of Island |
The Hennery & Dove Cote |
 The
Hennery & Dove-Cote:
A sixty foot tower built of native stone was the first structure on
the island built by the Boldts in 1896. The structure which was called
the "Hennery" was topped with a pigeon house - where they
collected fancy fowl. This building was present when the Boldts were
living in the original eighty room wooden "cottage" before
George Boldt had that structure removed in 1899 and began work on the
Castle in July of 1900. A bicycle path was built around the
entire edge of the island, at the water's edge. Plans had been
drawn for a Green and Palm House which was to have been connected to
the Hennery. |
Along with the gazebo, the area in front of
the hennery is often used for weddings. |
 The
Italian Garden:
A rocky crest of the island was extended into a level plateau by
making a promenade terrace atop the stone-walled service tunnel.
In contrast to a more natural character of the landscape elsewhere,
this detached garden was to be geometrically formal, so high retaining
walls were raised on the other sides as well, making the plan
symmetrical. Marble statuary was delivered from Italy (Found half a
century later still crated, where it had sunk within an old
boathouse). At the opposite extremity of the garden from the Ball
Room, a fountain pool was surrounded by a curved, lower terrace,
overlooking the picturesque roof line of the Power House. Beyond,
eastward down the river, is a distant horizon of water. |
 |
 |
The reconstructed balcony on the left overlooks the Hennery and Dove Cote and the Italian Garden which are built atop the underground service tunnel seen in the photo above. |
|
|
 The
Arch of Honor:
(The Peristyle) This water gate was modeled after Roman monuments, and
was to be the formal entry for boats, delivering guests from larger
yachts anchored in deep water. Built in 1899, of granite, the
base of the Peristyle was built in such a way as to help make the
heart shape of the island. There was to have been a double row
of columns , placed every nine feet, which would enclose a covered
walk, extending from each side of the twenty five foot center
"Arch of Honor". Carved stone deer, known as
"harts" once topped the arch. (The "hart"
was a symbol of Mr. Boldt's lineage and also part of his family's coat
of arms.) A drawbridge within the opening |
| was to have provided an entrance for small boats to pass into an artificial bay and a promenade on the embankment of the Swan Pond where rare ducks and black swans would have been kept. There also would have been a covered dock; and the promenade would have bordered the lagoon which surrounded part of the island. This project was not complete when work on the island stopped. To the right is a drawing of the proposed peristyle showing it crowned with a sculpture of three harts (deer) and flanked on either side with a carved stone fountain. |
|
 |
This beautiful 3000 lb
bronze sculpture of the "Three Harts" was completed by
sculptors, Bill, Gabriel, & Ai Qiu Hopen of Hopen
Studio Inc. and now sits atop the Arch of Honor.
(Bill Hopen graciously provided me with these photos.) |
|
 |
This carved marble fountain was found in a crate on the river bottom in 1948, 44 years after all work was stopped on the Castle. It is believed that the crate may have been on a dock which had deteriorated and that it had fallen through into the river. From the drawing of the Peristyle it appears that two of these fountains were to have been placed, one on each side of the "Arch of Honor". |
 The
Alster Tower:
This small castle structure, 90 feet tall, also called the Play
House, resembles a defense tower, like ones found on the Alster River,
in Hamburg, Germany. This structure, which was begun in 1897 was
formally opened in 1899 and was built as a place to entertain guests.
On the main floor, was an ornate room used for dancing called the
"Shell Room", named for the shape of its ceiling.
Once tiny colored lights within the folds of the shell, cast their
rays, over the room, giving the effect that you were enclosed in a
mammoth sea shell. Another room was decorated with
representations of armed warriors and Egyptian and Turkish firearms
once adorned the walls. Imported bronze lamps hung from the
ceiling. Other rooms were decorated in pink and green and
included fireplaces. The Tower had a beautifully
carved winding stairway and balcony of polished oak and in the
basement was a two |
 |
A stunning window in Alster Tower (the Play House). |
lane bowling alley used by the Boldt family. Besides the inside stairway, there is also a stairway on the outside of the tower. Other floors contained a billiard room, library, kitchen and several apartments with bedrooms, studies and baths. At the base of the structure there had been a dock and next to it on the water front was a Roman swimming pool. On the summit |
Curved stairs, oak paneling and carved balusters adorned the Shell Room in the Alster Tower where dances were held. The remains of a two lane bowling alley are in the lowest level of the tower. |
Ornate plasterwork once adorned the pillared
archways of the Shell Room in the Alster Tower (the Play House) were
the Boldts entertained their guests. |
of the Tower there had once been a huge heart of lights, and on Sunday nights, a cross of lights was lit. The tower offered a view of the whole island and its immense flower beds and lawns where nymphs and mermaids sent forth showers, while from the tops of artificial cat tails water sprayed the flowers. This structure was actually completed and the Boldt family lived here during the four years when the Castle itself was being erected. |
A unique wood and glass sliding pocket door opened into the Shell Room. |
 |
 The
Power House:
(Clock & Chimes Tower) (Also called the Water Castle)
The Boldts intended to electrify he island, and their architects
designed this facility where coal would fire steam generators. An
arched, stone bridge connects the Power House to the island, and the
highest tower provided river traffic with illuminated clock faces and
the music of silver chimes. The chimes ranged in size from 12 to
14 feet and could be heard from four miles away. In the upper
floors of the power house were apartments for engineers and machinists
employed in running the building which would provide water and
electricity for the castle and the grounds.
|
 The
Underground Passage:
(no inside photo available) The original entrance to this tunnel was at
the servants' dock on the water's edge. Goods were to be transported
from barges by way of the tunnel to storage rooms within the Castle's
foundation, thereby avoiding the main floor. The passage also houses the
electrical wiring and water pipes from the Power House. |
 |
 |
 The
Yacht House:
(across the water, on Wellesley Island) the family's three yachts and
enormous houseboat were accommodated, (with tall masts and rigging
standing) in slips 128 feet long. The main space rises 64 feet and the
high doors were so heavy that an engine was required to move them.
Quarters for crews and maintenance staff were adjacent, as was a shop
where racing launches were built and serviced. The Yacht House was the
first of these remarkable buildings to be listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. |
 The
Gazebo: Located
close to the water's edge near Alster Tower, the gazebo, which has
been rebuilt within the last few years is one of many favorite spots
for weddings. It's stone pillars support a uniquely designed
roof. |
The gazebo, on the water's edge, is the site
of many weddings on Heart Island. |
|
For more on Boldt Castle
including actual floor plans,
To
E-Mail me: Please
Sign Our Guest Book [HOME] [CASTLE - PAGE 1] [CASTLE - PAGE 3] [CASTLE - PAGE 4]
[Home]
[A
Little About Us]
 |
*Drawing of the proposed PERISTYLE.
