40 US Historical Homes That Are Worth the Visit

8.Boldt Castle

Boldt Castle’s story is a rather sad one, with the building never being completed to its creator’s full vision. Gracing the picturesque shore of Heart Island, the Prussia born George Boldt, manager of the famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, began building the castle in 1900 as a present for his wife, Louise. Although the couple already had a home on the Island, he wanted something grander for her. Enlisting the architectural firm G. W. & W. D. Hewitt, George Boldt hoped the six-story stone Chateauesque Rhineland structure would be one of the largest private homes in the United States.

Despite four years of construction and hiring hundreds of laborers to complete his grand stone castle, his beloved Louise died unexpectedly. She would never be able to see her husband’s vision come to fruition. Upon her death, a heartbroken George Boldt sent word via telegram that all construction must stop immediately. With that, 300 hundred works ceased construction on the 120 room seaside mansion. After being abandoned for 73 years and much of the structure left exposed to the elements, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority procured the property for one dollar. Today, Louise’s unrealized gift serves as a tourist destination enjoyed by visitors today. Albeit, you’ll need a boat to get there. Keep reading, because Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible Pennsylvania’s Fallingwater mansion is next.