The Castles of North America

[Richmond_Pope]

There's Lambert Castle in Paterson, NJ.

I went to high school in the next town over from Paterson. I haven't been there in years but if I remember right, that's a big spot for wedding parties to take their pictures in front of.

But yeah, it was a big fad for 19th and early 20th century millionaires to build their own little faux castles. Some examples after the link:

http://mashable.com/2014/07/06/american-castles/#i4vH2TJ7IPqc

 

[Admiral Beez]

How is that gate shut for sieges?

Most of the Quebec gates are replicas of the originals. The one is the photo above is Porte St. Louis, the original 1694 gate being replaced by the gate we see now in 1880 by Lord Dufferin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramparts_of_Quebec_City

Here's the original Porte St. Louis before it was torn down.

 

[NamelesStatistic]

How is that gate shut for sieges?

Ya, at one time they were considering just demolish the walls, because as originally constructed they would have been a nightmare for bringing goods in and out of the city by modern transport (as you can see by Admiral Beez's picture). Fortunately they decide to remodel new larger gates out of the walls that allow for modern cars and trucks rather than just knock down the walls.

 

[NamelesStatistic]

I went to high school in the next town over from Paterson. I haven't been there in years but if I remember right, that's a big spot for wedding parties to take their pictures in front of.

But yeah, it was a big fad for 19th and early 20th century millionaires to build their own little faux castles. Some examples after the link:

http://mashable.com/2014/07/06/american-castles/#i4vH2TJ7IPqc

Cool list. I find it funny how almost all the faux castles are in New York, New England or California though

 

[Admiral Beez]

My favourite faux castle in North America is Bolt Castle

http://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/

To be fair, many of the most famous castles in Europe were false, modern-era projects meant to serve as regal homes as opposed to defensive works, including Neuschwanstein.

 

[NamelesStatistic]

I know this is necroing an old thread but I came across Citadelle Laferrière in Haiti and I think it is pretty close to actually being a tall-walled European Castle in North America (Technically Haiti would be in North America). Anyway, it is a spectacular structure, even if it has fallen into disrepair and become something of a ruin:

 

[Sasalele]

I know this is necroing an old thread but I came across Citadelle Laferrière in Haiti and I think it is pretty close to actually being a tall-walled European Castle in North America (Technically Haiti would be in North America). Anyway, it is a spectacular structure, even if it has fallen into disrepair and become something of a ruin:

I want to build my evil lair there. Also, The Biltmore Estate could be considered a palace, it was modeled after Versailles and (don't quote me on this) it actually has about 1,000 more square feet.

 

[NamelesStatistic]

I want to build my evil lair there. Also, The Biltmore Estate could be considered a palace, it was modeled after Versailles and (don't quote me on this) it actually has about 1,000 more square feet.

Ya, their seemed to be a boom in the 19th and early 20th century in building European Medevil/Renaissance revivalist mansions (in particular "Chateau" style buildings- for a great example see the Grand Railway Hotels in Canada). Rich people here obviously went through a phase here they wanted to pretend they were feudal lords in Europe I guess.

 

[matashowski]

The Martin castle sits between Versailles and Lexington, Kentucky, amid a bunch of horsefarms. I've driven past it hundreds of times and its still kind of jarring.

 

[NamelesStatistic]

Here is a pretty big castle-y looking fort, complete with a real moat (although the walls are made of brick rather than stone) right in the USA (Florida): Fort Jefferson

It isn't some modern folly commissioned by a millionaire as a toy either; it was built in 1824-1825 in order to help the US Navy suppress piracy in the Caribbean. Its walls are pretty substantial in size and it is the largest masonry structure in the Americas.

I stumbled across this fort today by reading a BBC Travel article this morning about Dry Tortugas National Park (which contains the Fort as well as a huge reef): http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160609-a-national-park-that-lies-below-the-sea