Author: Carla

When Dr. Charles V. Paterno demolished his famous Manhattan castle overlooking the Hudson River in 1938, he set his sights on Greenwich, CT for his next home; and just one year later, his vision was realized. What makes this sprawling estate like no other in the northeast? It’s time to explore one of the country’s most famous chateaux like never before.

Thursday, Dec 12th • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM EST

Join New York Adventure Club as we uncover the complete story behind Dr. Charles V. Paterno’s Round Hill estate in Greenwich, CT, a luxury 23-acre estate built in 1939 on the highest point between Manhattan and Boston.

Led by Carla Golden, great-granddaughter of Dr. Charles V. Paterno, our virtual deep dive into this famed Paterno property will include:

• A brief overview of Dr. Paterno’s life and legacy, from how he made his fortune to his decision to raze his Washington Heights castle and move to Greenwich, CT
• Original blueprints of Round Hill designed and drawn by architect Greville Ricard
• A deep dive into the Norman-inspired 13,000-square-foot home, which featured 18 rooms, 3 towers, a 5-car garage, a swimming pool, and a three-story billiard room with views of the Manhattan skyline on clear days.
• Rare real estate photographs when the estate was first sold in 1948 after Dr. Paterno’s death
• First-hand documents from when famous art collector Joseph Hirshhorn owned and lived at Round Hill
• Details of the massive restoration and renovation by Dee & Tommy Hilfiger
• Observations about how Round Hill has changed, but largely remained the same, for 85 years

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Carla — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged!

Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week!

$12 registration. Click HERE to access New York Adventure Club’s website for more information and to sign up.

On Saturday, September 14, 2024, I was invited to speak about my great-grandfather, Dr. Charles V. Paterno, at Hudson View Gardens (HVG) in Washington Heights, NYC, which he completed building in 1924.

Part of my talk was the gifting of a portrait of Dr. Charles Paterno painted by my mother Mina Paterno Schultes.

The portrait now hangs in the library of the HVG lounge.

These are the words I shared with the kind residents of HVG:

Hudson View Gardens Centennial Celebration 14 September 2024

I am honored to be here with you this evening. Thank you for inviting me to your centennial party which might be better said as “thank you for letting me crash your party and talk about one of my favorite people.” 

One hundred years ago my great-grandfather Dr. Charles V. Paterno had the idea to turn the land he was using for a vegetable garden into a residential Tudor village. Across the street overlooking the river, he had been living in his castle for almost 15 years when this idea came to him. Up the street – Northern Avenue at the time, now Cabrini Boulevard – lived two of his married younger sisters in twin homes on 186th and Chittenden. Further up the street at approximately 188th lived his mother, his unmarried siblings, and a couple of married siblings with their families, all in twin Italianate homes (340 & 344). Dr. Paterno understood the value of closeness. He knew the comfort and security close proximity offered a person who wanted to check in on family, drop off a freshly baked loaf of bread, or help a friend in a pinch when the need arose. 

After World War One the Tudor aesthetic became a popular architectural style in the United States. In 1921 architect George F. Pelham designed two Tudor Revival styled apartment complexes, one for Dr. Paterno’s brother Joseph on 163rd & Broadway and one for Dr. Paterno’s brother-in-law Anthony Campagna near 158th Street on Riverside Drive. Dr. Paterno pulled from these successful projects and, with the same architect in 1923, designed a veritable residential village replete with charm, practicality, and ingenuity. 

Last fall when I visited Castelmezzano, my great-grandfather’s home village in Southern Italy, I felt a familiar feeling. Walking the narrow streets of the mountainous village with homes and shops lined and stacked on either side, it occurred to me that what he felt as a young boy walking those very streets he again felt as a grown man walking the driveway of Hudson View Gardens. In a different place, in a different style, in a different time, Dr. Paterno re-created the same feeling of comfort, security, community, and home that he felt as a young boy. 

My great-grandfather came from Castelmezzano with his mother and 3 of his siblings in 1884 when he was six years old to reunite with his father who had come to New York five years prior. The four children welcomed six more siblings once in the New World. Dr. Paterno graduated from Cornell Medical College in 1899 but never got the chance to practice medicine. That same year his father died unexpectedly leaving 2 unfinished apartment houses. Charles, 21 years old, and his 18-year old brother Joseph figured out how to finish them, continued to build as The Paterno Brothers, and eventually folded in their younger brothers and all of their sisters’ husbands into the family business. Together they built 164 buildings in Manhattan: 155 apartment houses, 4 family homes, 1 castle, 1 garage that is now a condo, 1 Times Square theater, 1 university cultural center, and 1 tiny steel house. Only 14 of these have been demolished. 

Hudson View Gardens accounts for 15 of the 164 Manhattan structures. I will not attempt to place HVG in historic architectural context in the presence of Dr. Andrew Dolkart. You all have received the ample benefit of an on-site professional expert through lectures and writings to elucidate the finer points. What unique perspective I can offer are the words of Ruth Brown, a granddaughter of Dr. Paterno, who recorded her memories for her family. 

“My mom and dad and I moved in 1925 when I was one year old to a brand new stretched out apartment in a very modern apartment complex overlooking “The Castle” and the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades. The apartment complex was called “Hudson View Gardens” and was built by my grandfather Dr. Charles V. Paterno. There were a dozen apartments attached with cellar ways connecting so one could walk from one to another in bad weather. An A&P grocery store, a drug store, restaurant and radio station were in the complex. Also a large rose garden and a separate children’s park with a sand box large enough for all the children to play in.

Our apartment was designed for us – two apartments connected. [After the centenniel party, residents Jonathan Tichler and Arturo Padilla researched old census records and determined that Ruth lived in unit L1 which was combined with L2.] It was stretched out with the large dining room in the center, a kitchen (with dishwasher and other appliances) and a large laundry room, the same size as the kitchen were to the side. A foyer ran along the back of the apartment where the front door was (we were a flight below street level) with a telephone in the outer foyer of the building for security. At one end of the dining room was the living room and beyond that a large bedroom and bath and just the opposite on the other side of the dining room was a family room with a Murphy bed. A large master bedroom and bath were at this end and screened porch and path, garden and stairs going down to the street below. It was a wonderful apartment with beautiful views from all the windows with large foot-deep window sills. There was a second Murphy bed under the large tapestry in the living room. We had a grand player piano in the living room where our parents entertained frequently. Our grandparents lived across the street in the Castle. It was wonderful having them so near and being invited for Sunday dinner almost every Sunday.”

Your neighborhood is where my family lived, here in HVG, across the street, on 186th and 188th Streets. In full circle fashion I would like to present to Hudson View Gardens tonight a gift from my family. 

Last year my mother Mina Paterno Schultes painted this portrait of her grandfather Dr. Charles Paterno. She was born one year prior to his passing so does not have her own memories of him but painting him in full color from a black and white photograph brought him to life for her. She could see her father in his father and imagine him in Castelmezzano and in his castle. He is said to have been a man who was larger than life itself. I hope you will invite him back into your neighborhood where he once lived, loved, and worked tirelessly leaving an architectural legacy that is still being celebrated today. 

Thank you so much for opening your doors to me and my family. —-END

Additionally, I have been working on transcribing the lengthy full page advertisement for HVG (below) which ran in the paper on August 24, 1924. In the transcription you will read about all the unqiue features of HVG, many that survive today, that has made it a wonderful place to live for 100 years and counting!

Tuesday, May 14th @ 5:30pm EDT • More info & register

Tuesday, May 21st @ 5:30pm EDT • More info & register

Tuesday, May 28th @ 5:30pm EDT • More info & register

Tuesday, June 4th @ 5:30pm EDT • More info & register

“At 21 I had just been graduated as a doctor from Cornell Medical School, when my father died, leaving the support of my mother and several children to my brother and myself.

“Knowing that it would be a long time before I could make enough money out of medicine to support my family, I thought of getting a job. But before I did that my brother and I decided that we would try to finish a building my father had left half completed. So we tackled the job, and much to our surprise we discovered that we know more about building that we realized, and that determined us to make our living through building operations.” – Dr. Charles V. Paterno.

TODAY Dr. Paterno is the record apartment building of New York. He has built around 100 large and many luxurious apartment houses, and about 50,000 people in New York owe their homes to him.

The San Francisco Bulletin 21 August 1924

Click HERE or on the image below to access a 177 page online flip book featuring the Paterno family story and a look book of their 164 Manhattan buildings.

Use the controls at the bottom of the flip book to view at full screen, download for printing, and be sure to click on the embedded links (green or blue text) on the pages for more information.

This flip book will continue to be updated as new information and images become available.

I’m presenting an online webinar about my great grandfather Dr. Charles V. Paterno’s residential castle on Tuesday, December 26, 2023 from 5:30 to 7pm with Q&A to follow. Below are all the details from New York Adventure Club. I hope you’ll join me!

To reserve your spot, please register HERE for $10.

How did Dr. Charles V. Paterno, a 29-year-old living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, get the sort of money to build a 4-story marble castle in 1907 overlooking the Hudson River? And what sort of lavish lifestyle did he and his family enjoy during its brief 30 year existence? Using rare documentation, historical maps, and extensive photographic evidence, it’s time to explore one of New York’s premier mansions of the Gilded Age like never before.

Join New York Adventure Club as we uncover the complete story behind the Paterno Castle of Washington Heights, from the initial inception, design, and function of the palatial residence to debunking many myths that have long-survived the structure since its demolition in 1938.

Led by Carla Golden, great-granddaughter of Dr. Charles V. Paterno, our virtual deep dive into the magnificent Paterno Castle will include:

• A brief overview of Dr. Paterno and how he made his fortune (hint: it wasn’t from being a practicing physician)
• A discussion of the inspiration behind Dr. Paterno’s luxurious residence in Washington Heights
• A look at features of the castle that reveal the family’s unique lifestyle, from hosting parties on the roof and growing culinary mushrooms in the basement
• The recent discovery and unveiling of never-before-seen blueprints of the massive castle addition
• What castle remnants still remain today after its demolition in 1938
• An evidentiary exploration of long-standing Paterno Castle myths including the number of indoor swimming pools, the report of an underground tunnel entrance from Riverside Drive, and the truth about ‘The Pumpkin House’

Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Carla — any and all questions about the Paterno Castle are welcomed and encouraged!

Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for a week!

To reserve your spot, please register HERE for $10.

• TESTIMONIALS FROM PREVIOUS CASTLE PRESENTATIONS •

“I loved the linear presentation of the history of how the castle came to be and its ultimate demise. Made everything so clear. Visuals were excellent.” -Kathryn

“Informative. Interesting. Eye opening” -Thomas

“Everything – the presentation was thorough, well researched and made all the more interesting by the family connection. I really enjoyed the lecture.” -Mary

“Interesting personal information about the Paterno Castle” -Mina

“Thoroughness of the research, solid knowledge base and enthusiasm of the speaker for/about the subject.” -Diane

“I live in the neighborhood and this presentation was very relevant to me.” -John

“Excellent information provided” -Melissa

“The thoroughness of the content and the presentation ,the clarity.” -Robert

“Extremely informative and fun.” -Margo

“What a fabulous journey through one of NYs gilded age treasures. Carla did a remarkable job reconstructing the history based on family memoirs and recollections as well as an impressive visual archive. Thank you so much for hosting this and her previous webinar! I hope there will be more to come.” -Liz

“Lots of research done. I liked that she was a family member.” -Doreen

“I live at Hudson View Gardens. I love learning about nyc. Adds up to much enjoyment this evening.” -Jane

“Historical detail combined with photographic support” -Jacqueline

“Learned something new.” -Donna

“Great presenter who did tremendous research.” -Karen

“Her research into her family and their building was so detailed. She found ways to deduce what she could not currently prove. I hope she finds the blueprints someday soon.” -Guest

“The clear visual presentation of the material. The flow and pace. Quality of research.” -Karen S.

“Lived in the Washington Heights/Inwood area and love learning what used to be and what some of the remnants are from.” -Cindy

“Presenter was very passionate & knowledgeable. Easy to listen to. She did not put me to sleep.” -Christine

“Interesting information about a long-gone building I never knew about, having grown up across the river in NJ.” -Catherine

“I especially liked Carla’s presentation. She is very articulate and shared so much information that she has been researching for some time. It was heartwarming that a great-granddaughter presented the historical information. I look forward to the 3-D look inside the castle.” -Lucy

“Loved that the presenter had a personal connection to the topic.” -Anna

“Her knowledge about the inside of the castle. Great how she was able to hold your interest with her drawings and pictures of the inside.” -Linda

“Very organized. Great photos.” -Renata

“Carla is great and so passionate about her family history. This house was amazing. So much dedication to her research.” -Noelle