Boldt Castle in Heart Island
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Boldt
Castle
Boldt Castle is a major
tourist attraction and landmark in Heart
Island, which is in St. Lawrence River’s
Thousand Islands along the north border of
New York. Aside from the castle, there are
four other
notable masonry structures
in the area.
The castle was originally owned by the
wealthy George Boldt who was the owner of
the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia
and a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel proprietor.
Heart Island was developed by
the Boldt family, and in the
1990s they commissioned architects G.W. &
W.D. Hewitt to design and build the
six-storey Boldt Castle.
During the early part of 1904 when Boldt’s
wife, Louis, passed away, construction of
the castle was stopped for over 70 years.
During the long period of neglect, the
structure suffered from the elements and
from vandals. Heart Island, including the
castle, was acquired by the Thousand Island
Bridge Authority in 1977. The authority
bought the property for one dollar under the
agreement that all revenues generated by the
castle would be used for the restoration of
Heart Island.
The Thousand Island Bridge Authority spent
fifteen million dollars to restore the
building and continue
it construction. Additions
to the castle that have been made over the
years include a grand wooden staircase,
marble flooring and a stained glass dome.
