Paterno Castle

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182 Northern Avenue

1907 – main house
663
$120,000.00
Northern av, w s, 510.7 n 181st st 4-sty brk and stone residence; 50˙67.2
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Dr Chas V Paterno / (o) 620 W 116th st COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) John C Watson / (a) 217 W 125th st (source)

1908 – same start point (510.7) as castle
21
$12,000.00
Northern av, w s, 510.7 n 181st st 2-sty brk and stone garage and dwelling, 22˙35
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Chas V Paterno / (o) 620 W 116th st COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) John C Watson / (a) 217 W 125th st (source)

1909 – south of castle; garage on south end of estate (see 1913 map for 1 and 3 story indicators on auto house)
488
$50,000.00
NORTHERN AV, w s, 210.3 n 181st st two 1 and 3-sty stone and brick dwellings and garages, 22.6˙84, and 16˙15
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno & Cerabone / (o) 582 West 183d [183rd] st COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) M. V. B. Ferdon (b) Joseph Paterno, / (a) 749 East 230th st (b) 510 West 114th st, (source)

NB 146-1927
Northern Avenue [Cabrini Boulevard], 11
1-sty bk hot house & swimming pool, glass & steel frame rfg, 40×280
Cost:
$20,000
Owner:
Paterno Const. Co., Chas. V. Paterno, 100 E 42d [42nd]
Architect:
Geo. Fred Pelham, 150 Lincoln pl, Bklyn
Address in Real Estate Record:
NORTHERN AV, 11

The Pageant of the Seasons at The Castle • 1931 Paterno Castle Brag Book

Below slideshow: castle photos from Kelley Paterno’s book Pages 217-222

Riverside Drive (then Washington Heights now Hudson Heights neighborhood), Manhattan, New York, USA
– built at what is now Cabrini Boulevard and West 181st Street in Washington Heights
– per CMP interviews (1995) when Northern Avenue was resurfaced, it was renamed – prior it was a dirt road and was paved

Neo-Gothic (Medieval) four-story (including basement) 35-room mansion
White marble facade with turrets

Designed by John C. Watson

John C. Watson (dates undetermined) (source)
87 Second Avenue (c. 1910)
Little is known of the life or training of architect John C. Watson. He had an active architectural practice in New York between 1905 and 1940, designing a variety of buildings throughout the city, including tenements, apartment houses, stores and garages. In 1908 he designed the “Castle Paterno” on Riverside Drive and 181st Street, a luxurious private home for the head of the Paterno Construction Company. References: Office for Metropolitan History; Ward, 83; “Riverside Castle to be Unique Among City’s Residences,” NYT, June7, 1908.

Purchased 7.5 acres of Inwood in 1905
Built 1905-1916 (moved in 1909 before completion) (per Kelley Paterno page 211 construction dates are 1907-1909) “Ground was broken for the Castle in 1907.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38 [Renato Cantore has move in date as 21 June 1908.]
Demolished 1938 (to be replaced by Castle Village)

“Ground was broken for the Castle in 1907. That was the year of my birth on 23 November 1907. A lifelong remembrance is that “07” lettering on the leaded glass window of my parents’ large bathroom. This was a three-storied building with 38 rooms and fashioned entirely on the outside with white marble.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38

– This home contained a large organ and many pianos, had excellent furnishings and was exquisitely decorated, with many oil paintings. This mansion became a landmark for visitors from all parts of the country and other nation, sailing on the Hudson River. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

RETAINING WALL & PERGOLA
– he built the 75 foot high wall in 1924 (CMP book page 28)
– 35 feet wide at the base, 75 feet high, and one thousand feet long (Kelley Paterno page 211)
– decorative columns and beams formed an impressive pergola walk to the Castle entrance gates
– colonnade over 950 feet long with 200 white marble columns supporting thick beams in pale stone at more than 65 feet over the road; blocks over 30 feet thick (Renato Cantore)
– On May 12, 2005, a 75-foot retaining wall below the garden that faces the Hudson River collapsed, resulting a massive landslide which buried the northbound lanes of the Henry Hudson Parkway and six parked cars. The collapse stopped traffic on the highway for several days, but the clean-up began quickly, and the road re-opened on May 15. However, an entry ramp to the highway remained closed for almost two years. No one was injured. A later study found that the collapse could have been prevented. Reconstruction of the wall and garden, which had been built in 1925 and supported the complex’s lawn, was substantially completed by October 2007, at the cost of $24 million. The access ramp to the Henry Hudson Parkway below the wall was partially reopened in March 2008. All reconstruction on the wall, including the full opening of the access ramp was complete by November 2010. Castle Village residents lost their suit against the Internal Revenue Service over tax deductions related to the repair. source
– Reginald Pelham Bolton, Guide to Named Streets (New York: Dyckman Institute, 1914), 7; Bolton, Washington Heights—Its Eventful Past, 110-111. Bolton notes that from West 177th through 181st streets, the drive was in an elevated position and had been constructed by private developers, most likely the Paterno family since they had constructed a “castle” at West 181st Street. Bolton noted that the “retaining wall twice collapsed after completion” in this location, which is interesting given that the retaining wall in that same location collapsed once again in May 2005. (source)
– Once as a teenager my cousin Gladys [Gladys Middaugh Hazeltine 1897-1994] and her daughter who was my age, cousin Harriet [Harriet Hazeltine 1924-1989] from Pasadena, California, came to visit. My grandmother’s chauffeur Glen [Glenn Lybarger] took us down through the servants quarters to a secret door. There we went through on unfinished part of the cellar where we walked on gang planks and walked out to the stone wall overhanging Riverside Drive and looked out over the small cars below. It was very scary. Above the stone wall was a white pergola which ran the length of the property. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

FRONT GATE & PORTE-COCHERE
– frontage was enclosed with marble piers and a high decorative wrought iron fence
– The Castle was built of white marble set on 20 acres high above the Hudson with a three-foot thick grey stone supporting wall all along the side above the river. The front side had a decorative iron fence with three automobile entrances and three pedestrian entrances spaced along Northern Avenue. At the end of the property were the seven garages which housed the limousines and above which the two chauffeurs and families lived in their own apartments. The driveways ran so that it would be convenient for the cars to leave the garages, drive out onto Northern Avenue up the street to the third entrance and drive down the driveway and stop at the front door of the Castle under the porte-cochere. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

CULINARY MUSHROOM VAULT & WINE CELLAR – basement
Underground entrance passage would lead here from Riverside Drive
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker

BASEMENT
– elevator to basement; also accessible via an underground tunnel that started at the first set of stairs by the entrance on the east side and ended up in the very heart of the construction (Renato Cantore)
– another underground service passage, accessible from a short set of stairs on the north end of the property, led to the kitchens, the service rooms, the storage areas for equipment and the pantries (Renato Cantore)

SERVICE KITCHEN/S – basement
– across from mushroom vault
– lunchroom for midday meals
– grill room for informal suppers and barbecues with friends (Renato Cantore)

ELEVATOR
“When Dad (Charles Paterno) had visitor at the Castle, which was often, he would invariably entice members of the fair sex for a ride in the elevator. This was one of his favorite tour trips. The elevator descended to a level below the swimming pool. Dad referred to this spot as Bluebeard’s Den…it was dark, damp and spooky. When the elevator started down, he would explain all about this dangerous dungeon and the deep wells and crevices that he developed at the time he built the 75 foot high wall in 1924. Dad would open the elevator door, invite the guests to come out and look — and at this point the lights always went out in the elevator. Of course there would be screams from the women. Actually, Dad never let the women get beyond the wooden platform just outside the elevator door. Then they would all rush to get back into the elevator when the lights went out, so Dad had a good laugh.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 28
– the elevator on the north side of the Castle was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level per Kelley Paterno page 211
– electric elevator in north tower (Renato Cantore)
– The elevator located on the north side was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

INDOOR SWIMMING POOL & WELLNESS AREA – basement
– there was an original pool/bath under the castle proper (see 1911 NYT article and then there was a new pool built in the glass house extension approx. 1927)
9 x 28 feet
Filled with filtered water pumped from the nearby Hudson River
Birdcages
Massage (Rubbing) Rooms
Turkish Baths
Dressing Room
Two hot rooms (saunas) of different temperatures
Lounge Room
Small pool with water pumped directly from the river (Renato Cantore)
– “One could proceed through the dining room into the conservatory, billiard room, swimming pool and greenhouses.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– “In the late 1920’s after the 75 foot wall was built along Riverside Drive, the Castle grounds were established and a large conservatory, billiard room, new swimming pool and 17 greenhouses (including one just for orchids) were constructed.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 31
– the conservatory led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic size swimming pool with dressing rooms, showers, and facilities (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– Aquariums stocked with tropical fish were built-in the tiled walls of the poolroom. (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– from the winter garden (conservatory) you could go to the gym and from there to another of the unique places that had made the castle famous throughout the city: the large covered pool….Olympic size…finished in green ceramic tiles…surrounded by arches resting on slender columns…color birds in large cages (Renato Cantore)
– Also an exercise room with an electric horse and camel, ping pong, etc. Behind the swimming pool were many dressing rooms and Turkish baths etc. etc. (Notes on Carlo Paterno’s book My Family made by Ruth Marie Welsh Brown)
– Back again in the billiard room a small stairway led to the exercise room with a large mechanical horse and another one called the elephant. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– A dozen steps down from this [exercise] room was the pool. The pool was surrounded by rattan furniture along one long windowed wall and the other wall had goldfish set in four glass aquariums in the wall. The pool had a diving board at one end, ropes for swinging on in the middle overhead and had a beautiful blue tile bottom. Beyond the pool there were dressing rooms on each side, six for the ladies and six for the men with an assortment of bathing suits for their use. Bathrooms for each of course and beyond this a very large health room with Turkish bath, massage table and water hoses all supervised by the engineer Mr. Tagalieri. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– From the dining room, one entered a glass-enclosed conservatory, luxuriously furnished, and containing many tropical trees, shrubs and orchids. This room led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic-size swimming pool complete with dressing rooms, shower and facilities for both sexes. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker
– “The white marble interior included an enormous swimming pool surrounded by bird cages, as well as an organ with 3,097 pipes (intended to be played by three people and valued during the depression at $60,000).” (source)

From Rich Americans Reviving the Roman Fad for “Baths” • New York Times • 28 May 1911: “At 183d Street and Riverside Drive Dr. Charles V. Paterno is building a castle that overhangs the Hudson. At every step toward the house, whose terraces are true promenades set in a frame of river and woodland and whose perspective commands the Palisades, it was a constant progression of beauty towards the focal point – the baths. The suite is in the basement of the house, but the house has such an altitude upon the hill that the bathing pool overhangs the river. The walls of this sumptuous hall go down seventy-five feet to the rock. Three immense windows look out of the Hudson. The entire depression of the pool is a tank of iron. There is a space of three inches of solid cement which was waterproofed and in which all the pipes are placed for the illumination of the pool to diffuse the light through the water. For this pool in the Paterno estates is unique in being an illuminated pool. Outside the cement which lines the pool there is enameled brick; thus you have three assurances of great hygienic importance that nothing can happen in the way of a leak. The pool is 20 feet long, 9 feet broad, and 12 feet deep. It empties and fills by valves. The water is obtained seventy-five feet from the shore (the Hudson) and passes through a filtering process which renders it crystal clear. A diving-board is to be placed at one end of the tank. The walls are to be frescoed in sea-green and gold and the sunset tints supreme to Italy. The subjects of the frescoes are to be drawn from Greek mythology – of Diana at the bath and of the serious enchantment of Dryads “who had an Oread’s heart and yearned for waters.” In the evening when “pool parties” are given the electric lights around the hall need not be used. The electric lights within the pool diffuse an enchanting radiance over the surface of the water. These lights equal twenty-four 32-candle electric lights. One may fancy the Arabian Nights’ effect, and with the boats and their multi-colored illuminations passing and repassing on the river, and sending their arrowry brilliance across the iridescence on walls and water. The hall is heated by direct steam. the owner of this noble property, who has acquired the site directly opposite the castle where the battle of Fort Washington was fought, has applied to the city for the privilege of introducing salt water to the pool by special pipes. Various bathing salons open out – beautiful white alcoves – from the “plunge.” A massage room, a hot room, a ladies’ dressing room, a gentlemen’s dressing room, and marble lavatories. A tiny rathskeller [beer hall] opens into the hall of the pool.”

“9/4/2022 posted by Jenny Carel in the Lost New York Facebook group: Back in the day, us kids would climb up the side [of the retaining wall] and go into the tunnels over the highway. Great views and scary fun. Probably in the early 80’s you could enter the tunnel on the left above the highway and the main tunnel would run parallel to the outside, I remember a ladder going down that we wisely never went down but could hear water at the bottom. Probably what was left of the mushroom cellar. When the wall collapsed in 2004 or 05, most of the tunnel collapsed with it and has been sealed off.”

ENTRY/GREAT HALL – 1st floor
75 foot underground passageway from Riverside Drive
Reception hall 80 feet above street level
20 square feet
Antique clock that operated the organ to play music at scheduled times & tower chimes
– “…a lovely marble circulating fountain in the center surrounded by red carpeting. One could look up from the fountain through the open well to the balcony around the second floor which was covered with oil paintings and also see the ceiling on the third floor.”
– “As one proceeded from the fountain, the winding stairway came down from the second floor with a powder room underneath. Beyond that was the Music Room with Aubusson gilded furniture.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38
– At the top of the winding staircase going up to the main hall, there was a real art gallery, with large canvases by 18th Century Italian and French painters. But the real work of art, at the heart of this floor of the house, was the magnificent organ console with three keyboards that Charles had given Minnie, spending $61,000…sound spread throughout the building, thanks to over 3,000 pipes disseminated in the various rooms from the basement to the roof. (Renato Cantore)
– The front door had red carpeting running out under the double grill covered glass doors down the two steps to the driveway. Inside the foyer were two “knights of armor” and chairs and tables of Italian design. Further down the foyer one entered an octagonal shaped center room in the middle of the castle with a fountain and goldfish pond in the middle with Italian furniture on the outer walls. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Now we go back upstairs to the grand octagonal foyer. And turn left after we come out of the dining room. We go into the library. The library has a circular glass window at one end and in front of the furniture lies the head and body of a beautiful tiger stretched out on the floor. An open area with long windows separates the library from the music room. Here the grand piano, the French furniture and the beautiful lion on this floor. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– We leave this [music] room and turn left. Walk past the grand staircase and further left to a ladies sitting room and adjoining powder room which is next to the Japanese room. Turn back to the grand staircase and you will see that you can look straight up to the glass roof. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– One entered into a sizable vestibule with a decorative marble fountain. The vestibule led to a large hall from which one could see the winding stairway going up to the second floor. Behind the stairway was the music room, on one side the library, and on the other the dining room and kitchen. The elevator located on the north side was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Makerer of Castles, The New Yorker

GALLERY ORGAN – 2nd floor
– 1911 Aeolian organ (source)
– Chimed in castle tower on the hour and half-hour as well as morning waking alarm
– upon demolition of castle the large organ with three keyboards was bought by a rich gentleman, Henry Bucknall, who donated it to the Episcopal church of St. Paul in Glen Cove, a small town in Nassau County on the north coast of Long Island, in memory of his wife, Clara (Renato Cantore)
– As we reach the second floor we will notice organ pipes in the left corner. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– One unique feature of the castle was an antique clock in the entrance hall that, a certain times of the day, operated a $7000 organ located on the second floor gallery, as well as chimes in the castle’s tower, which rang on the hour and the half-hour. The organ was expanded a number of times, in 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1927, at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars. When the Castle was slated for demolition, the organ was purchased and donated to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Glen Cove, New York. (Wikipedia)
– In 1910, the Aeolian Company was contracted (Dec. 29, 1910) to build an organ in Castle Paterno that would have three manuals and 37 ranks at a cost of $22,600. Aeolian incorporated nine stops plus the Harp and Chimes from an unidentified existing organ in the residence. Installation of the organ was in two stages, perhaps to accommodate construction of the house. The first stage (Manuals I & III, the Pedal Flute, Harp & Chimes, and a three-manual console) was to be completed on or about September 18, 1911, at a cost of $10,750. In the subsequent contract (Sept. 20, 1913), Aeolian agrees to complete the organ (Swell organ, three additional stops in the Pedal, and the Echo organ, including an extra motor) for the balance of $11,850. The pipes of the Great, Swell and Pedal were located in a chamber on the top floor, while the Echo division was in the basement and spoke through a tone chute into the main hall. The regular console and Combination Duo-Art & 116-note player were located on the third floor. Aeolian was contracted (June 24, 1927) to add an eight-rank Solo organ and a five-rank Vox Humana Choir organ, along with new consoles (three-manual regular plus a Duo-Art) to control the enlarged organ that now had a total of 50 ranks. When Castle Paterno was slated to be demolished, the organ was purchased by Henry J.Q. Bucknall of Leadhead, N.Y., who presented the organ to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Glen Cove, N.Y., as a memorial to his wife, Clara Legg Bucknall. The Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co. was contracted (Aug. 11, 1938) to remove the organ to storage in the church crypt for a consideration of $1,700, and agreed to install the organ (as Op. 1174A) in the completed church within one year for approximately $2,000. The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
– This home contained a large organ and many pianos. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Builder of Castles, The New Yorker
– “In 1938, Bucknall purchased a Skinner Aeolian pipe organ valued at $61,000 for St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Glen Cove. The organ had originally been installed in “Paterno Castle.” Constructed on the edge of the Hudson River in 1905 for doctor-turned-real estate tycoon Charles V Paterno, the mansion was a bumptious architectural fantasy, a travesty in the form of Hollywood vision of a medieval castle. The mansion was being razed (after being razzed) to make way for an apartment building… one of the few examples in which the demolition of a mansion was a public service. Bucknall wished to present the organ – which had 3,097 pipes – to the church in memory of his wife. (NY Times, 1938b – the article contains a typographical error in which it refers to the estate as “Leadhead” rather than “Leahead”). The existing church building, constructed in the 1890’s, had been condemned as structurally unsafe by the City of Glen Cove a few months previous to the announcement of Bucknall’s donation and a new $200,000 brick structure was being planned to replace it (NY Times, 1938a),. The organ was placed in one of the church’s crypts temporarily until the new church was ready to receive it.” “Leahead” The Henry W J Bucknall Estate
– “The white marble interior included an enormous swimming pool surrounded by bird cages, as well as an organ with 3,097 pipes (intended to be played by three people and valued during the depression at $60,000).” (source)

PARLOR – 1st floor- Louis XV design
– A red carpet led to the lavish main hall in a Louis XV style with furniture in refined wood and Rococo decorations. Taking the winding staircase leading to the second floor, you had to go through the room in a Japanese style (Renato Cantore)
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker

CARD ROOM – 1st floor – Asian (Oriental and Japanese) design
-“As you entered the Castle from the porté cochere there was a Japanese card room on the right. I particularly remember the effectiveness of the hand-painted silk screened panels which were lighted from behind. This entire room was hand-decorated by the then famous artist Buccini.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38
– On the right side [of the entry foyer] was the Japanese room. All done in Japanese style with a constantly glaring ember fire in a Japanese hibachi. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– We leave this [music] room and turn left. Walk past the grand staircase and further left to a ladies sitting room and adjoining powder room which is next to the Japanese room. Turn back to the grand staircase and you will see that you can look straight up to the glass roof. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker

LIBRARY – 1st floor
“On the other side of the great hall was the library finished in dark oak and overstuffed blue velvet furniture.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38
– faced the dining room and kitchen per Kelley Paterno page 211
– …the large library with huge oak bookcases and, on the wall, two canvases with life-sized portraits of Minnie and Charles…thousands of exquisitely bound volumes…armchair upholstered in blue velvet. (Renato Cantore)
– Now we go back upstairs to the grand octagonal foyer. And turn left after we come out of the dining room. We go into the library. The library has a circular glass window at one end and in front of the furniture lies the head and body of a beautiful tiger stretched out on the floor. An open area with long windows separates the library from the music room. Here the grand piano, the French furniture and the beautiful lion on this floor. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Behind the stairway was the music room, on one side the library, and on the other the dining room and kitchen. The elevator located on the north side was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

MUSIC ROOM – 1st floor
– “As one proceeded from the fountain, the winding stairway came down from the second floor with a powder room underneath. Beyond that was the Music Room with Aubusson [18th Century French] gilded furniture.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38
– “How charming it is to recall the incident when Mother sent Dad to the Aeolian Piano Company to buy two pianos — one for the music room and one for her bedroom. When Dad returned home she was shocked to learn that he had purchased six pianos. The purchasing deal for six pianos had a price-wise effect of getting two of the pianos for nothing.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 30
– behind the winding stairway
– contained a $61,000 organ
– Now we go back upstairs to the grand octagonal foyer. And turn left after we come out of the dining room. We go into the library. The library has a circular glass window at one end and in front of the furniture lies the head and body of a beautiful tiger stretched out on the floor. An open area with long windows separates the library from the music room. Here the grand piano, the French furniture and the beautiful lion on this floor. We leave this room and turn left. Walk past the grand staircase and further left to a ladies sitting room and adjoining powder room which is next to the Japanese room. Turn back to the grand staircase and you will see that you can look straight up to the glass roof. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Behind the stairway was the music room, on one side the library, and on the other the dining room and kitchen. The elevator located on the north side was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
– CMP book My Family Page 37: (Portrait of Minnie Minton Middaugh Paterno) Caption: A pastel of Mother by the French artist Mrs. A. Lenique. This hung in the Music Room at the Castle.

DINING ROOM – 1st floor
– Colonial design
– “Opposite the fountain was the Italian decorated dining room with the round mahogany table and cherub frescoing. Just forward of the dining room was the large pantry as the remodeled kitchen was actually in the basement.” Carlo Paterno in My Family pages 38 & 39
– “One could proceed through the dining room into the conservatory, billiard room, swimming pool and greenhouses.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– Cherub frescoing and an Italian round mahogany table decorated the dining room. (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– dining room led to the fully equipped kitchen or, on the east side, the luxuriant conservatory (Renato Cantore)
– To the left [of the octagonal foyer] was the dining room very formal done in dark wood to the left of that the large pantry. Off the dining room doors opened into a long tiled floor (heated) three sectioned green house with flowers growing on each side at waist level. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Now we go back upstairs to the grand octagonal foyer. And turn left after we come out of the dining room. We go into the library. The library has a circular glass window at one end and in front of the furniture lies the head and body of a beautiful tiger stretched out on the floor. An open area with long windows separates the library from the music room. Here the grand piano, the French furniture and the beautiful lion on this floor. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Behind the stairway was the music room, on one side the library, and on the other the dining room and kitchen. The elevator located on the north side was designed to travel from the basement to the roof level. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
– From the dining room, one entered a glass-enclosed conservatory, luxuriously furnished, and containing many tropical trees, shrubs and orchids. This room led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic-size swimming pool complete with dressing rooms, shower and facilities for both sexes. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker

DEN – 1st floor
– with chamber (bed room)

DRAWING ROOM – 1st floor

CONSERVATORY – 1st floor
– contained a Capehart Victrola which automatically changed records and would play continuously for several hours – used for Sunday open house tea dances (CMP pg 32)
“One could proceed through the dining room into the conservatory, billiard room, swimming pool and greenhouses.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– “In the late 1920’s after the 75 foot wall was built along Riverside Drive, the Castle grounds were established and a large conservatory, billiard room, new swimming pool and 17 greenhouses (including one just for orchids) were constructed.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 31
– “The fireplace in the conservatory was rather ingenious and one of Dad’s innovations as there was no chimney for smoke and heat to escape. He devised a large fan so that the smoke actually went underneath the floor in the conservatory and up the main chimney of the Castle. He did this for aesthetic reasons. Dad did not want the chimney to block the view through the beautiful glass dome. The innovation surprised everyone when it was brought to the attention.” Carlo Pater in My Family page 32
– next to the dining room Kelley Paterno page 212
– glass enclosed conservatory containing tropical trees, shrubs, and orchids (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– huge glass vault sustained by an elegant steel structure (Renato Cantore)
– the floor was covered with elegant Oriental carpets and all around there were tropical plants, colorful flowers with heady scents, all kinds of orchids and rare botanical species…chirping canaries in cages…the white parrot (Renato Cantore)
– Off the dining room doors opened into a long tiled floor (heated) three sectioned green house with flowers growing on each side at waist level. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– At the end of this [three sectioned greenhouse] one entered a huge solarium with a glass roof, carpets over tile floors, a large stone fireplace and a dozen hanging bird cages with canaries and potted plants everywhere. This was a favorite room to entertain in always bright compared especially to the darker rooms of the castle. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– The ceremony took place in the large conservatory, which had been transformed into an outdoor garden by means of silver birch trees and tropical and subtropical plants. There was a temporary altar at one end of the room, arranged against a background of the birch trees and flanked by seven-branched cathedral candelabras. Carlo & Helen’s Engagement and Wedding
– A buffet supper was served by Sherry in the conservatory. The entire Paterno residence was thrown open for the festivities. Carlo & Helen’s Engagement and Wedding
– From the dining room, one entered a glass-enclosed conservatory, luxuriously furnished, and containing many tropical trees, shrubs and orchids. This room led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic-size swimming pool complete with dressing rooms, shower and facilities for both sexes. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

BILLIARD ROOM – 1st floor
– “One could proceed through the dining room into the conservatory, billiard room, swimming pool and greenhouses.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– “In the late 1920’s after the 75 foot wall was built along Riverside Drive, the Castle grounds were established and a large conservatory, billiard room, new swimming pool and 17 greenhouses (including one just for orchids) were constructed.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 31
– the conservatory led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic size swimming pool with dressing rooms, showers, and facilities (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– Anyone who didn’t like to swim could relax in the large solarium or have fun with friends in the billiard room, where the privacy of this place was invaded only by the fixed stare of the gaily colored tropical fish swimming in the aquarium embedded in the wall. (Renato Cantore)
– Off of this room [solarium] one opened double glass doors and went down three steps into the billiard room which was fitted out with a very heavy pool table, dome lights, cues, racks, etc. and high stools to watch the game. Once again another set of glass doors and you walked down three steps into a series of greenhouses one after the other [rows?] of flowers but specializing in different kinds of orchids. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– Back again in the billiard room a small stairway led to the exercise room with a large mechanical horse and another one called the elephant. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– From the dining room, one entered a glass-enclosed conservatory, luxuriously furnished, and containing many tropical trees, shrubs and orchids. This room led to the billiard room and the enclosed Olympic-size swimming pool complete with dressing rooms, shower and facilities for both sexes. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

SOLARIUM – grounds/1st floor
– Anyone who didn’t like to swim could relax in the large solarium or have fun with friends in the billiard room, where the privacy of this place was invaded only by the fixed stare of the gaily colored tropical fish swimming in the aquarium embedded in the wall. (Renato Cantore)
– At the end of this [three sectioned greenhouse] one entered a huge solarium with a glass roof, carpets over tile floors, a large stone fireplace and a dozen hanging bird cages with canaries and potted plants everywhere. This was a favorite room to entertain in always bright compared especially to the darker rooms of the castle. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

MASTER BEDROOM W/VESTIBULE – 2nd floor
20 feet x 80 feet
– “The bedrooms and guest rooms were on the second floor.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– “How charming it is to recall the incident when Mother sent Dad to the Aeolian Piano Company to buy two pianos — one for the music room and one for her bedroom. When Dad returned home she was shocked to learn that he had purchased six piano. The purchasing deal for six pianos had a price-wise effect of getting two of the pianos for nothing.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 30
– “A lifelong remembrance is that “07” lettering on the leaded glass window of my parents’ large bathroom.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 38
– The leaded glass window of the master bedroom included “07” which was the year of the ground braking for the Castle. (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– From the gallery you went to the bedrooms. Here too each one had its style and colors, lots of private apartments with a vestibule and private bathroom. (Renato Cantore)
– The master bedroom…measuring 470 square feet, it was the biggest bedroom in the city, basically the size of an average apartment for a well-to-do family…furnishings said to be finished in gold, elegant draperies, expensive carpets; main window facing river showcased “07” year of start of construction (Renato Cantore)
– The second story has a red velvet balustrade running around the entire second floor and also the third floor. Back to the stairway you walk up three red carpeted stairs and continue as the stairs turn right for the full flight to the second floor or else take the elevator up to the second or third floor. As we reach the second floor we will notice organ pipes in the left corner. We walk to the first door and we enter a large foyer. A closet on the left houses my grandmothers shoes – dozens of them in all colors. The next door in the foyer area leads into my grandfather’s room – dark masculine with a large fireplace. Leaving that room and going into the doorway across from the foyer door is a very large white bathroom with sunbathing deck outside which is above the porte-cochere. All of the commodes in the bathrooms in the castle are covered with white wicker chairs. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– The next room off the foyer area is my grandmother’s “boudoir.” With bed, day bed, chairs, small piano, fireplace and a room for the family to gather in. And for me to sleep on the day bed whenever I spent the night when I was little. A second door from the boudoir led into a little hall with a back stairway going down to the pantry. And through the hall was a good sized sewing room. Beyond that a large bathroom belonging to my Uncle Carlo [Carlo Middaugh Paterno 1907-1995] and then his room which had a circular area surrounded by glass windows. This room also had entrance by a door from around the second floor balcony. We walk a little further to a large walk-in cedar closet and then a few feet further, open the door into a small foyer area. And there are two guest rooms with small fireplaces, a bath to share, all lovely with balconies overlooking the Hudson. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– The master bedrooms and guest rooms were located on the second floor. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

CARLO’S [SON] ROOM – 2nd floor
– Beyond that a large bathroom belonging to my Uncle Carlo [Carlo Middaugh Paterno 1907-1995] and then his room which had a circular area surrounded by glass windows. This room also had entrance by a door from around the second floor balcony. We walk a little further to a large walk-in cedar closet and then a few feet further, open the door into a small foyer area. And there are two guest rooms with small fireplaces, a bath to share, all lovely with balconies overlooking the Hudson. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– “When I became of school age I had my own room on the second floor in the southwest portion’s overview of the great Hudson River.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39

2 BEDROOMS W/VESTIBULE – 2nd floor
– “The bedrooms and guest rooms were on the second floor.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– The master bedrooms and guest rooms were located on the second floor. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
– From the gallery you went to the bedrooms. Here too each one had its style and colors, lots of private apartments with a vestibule and private bathroom. (Renato Cantore)
– And there are two guest rooms with small fireplaces, a bath to share, all lovely with balconies overlooking the Hudson. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– The master bedrooms and guest rooms were located on the second floor. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

NURSERY – 2nd floor

SEWING ROOM – 2nd floor
– And through the hall was a good sized sewing room. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

LAUNDRY – 2nd floor

BANQUET HALL – 3rd floor
50 square feet
20 foot ceiling
– refined upholstery, leather sofas, crystal chandeliers, 20 foot high ceiling; from banquet hall balcony was a breathtaking view of the Hudson River (Renato Cantore)
– Besides the ballroom there is a full dining room, kitchen and powder rooms. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

BALLROOM – 3rd floor
50 square feet including lobby and salon
20 foot ceiling
balconies with view of the Hudson River
– “On the top floor was a large ballroom for parties and dancing.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39
– We now leave the second floor and go up to the third floor. We now enter the grand ballroom area with grand piano. The ceiling and walls covered with al frescos and velvet chairs and mirrors covering the sides of the rooms. Besides the ballroom there is a full dining room, kitchen and powder rooms. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– After the ceremony the bridal couple received the congratulations of relatives and friends in the ballroom. Later there was dancing. A buffet supper was served by Sherry in the conservatory. The entire Paterno residence was thrown open for the festivities. Carlo & Helen’s Engagement and Wedding
– On the third floor there was a tremendous ballroom. Michael J. Paterno book page 10
-A fountain plays in a large central rotunda. Hidden away somewhere is a great organ, and that too is invariably playing – electrically. The there is the Japanese room, the dining-room, the living-room and finally the Louis XV library containing life-size portraits in oil of the lord of the castle and his chatelaine. Nor shall we forget the mushroom cellar and the grand ballroom upstairs. Still another wonder is to be added – a two-hundred-foot swimming pool, to be enclosed in glass and equipped with an electric sun-ray apparatus which the Doctor say will put a Palm Beach tan on while you wait. Maker of Castles, The New Yorker

AVIARY – grounds

ROOF
roof garden with 1.5 feet of soil

GROUNDS
– Italian gardens 80 x 150 feet
– Colonnades
– Fountains
– Garage
– Servants Quarters
– Stable
– Service Tunnel accessing kitchen and servants quarters
– small farm complete with cows, horses, pheasant, chickens, and rabbits (Renato Cantore)

“The south end of the property contained garages and storage rooms, with apartments built above them to house the families of the chauffeur and head gardener. Tennis courts were also built on the beautifully landscaped property.” Kelley Paterno page 211

“Glenn Lybarger (driver) and Margaret, his wife, occupied the second floor of the garage at the Castle overlooking the Hudson. Their son, Lawrence, grew up there and from the time he was old enough Larry Lybarger worked as a loyal employee in Dad’s office. For some 40 years Larry was with the Paterno operation until its finale when we liquidated and moved to Naples, Florida. It was Glenn Lybarger who drove Helen’s Mark II big car to Naples in 1970.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 21

KITCHEN – basement
“Opposite the fountain was the Italian decorated dining room with the round mahogany table and cherub frescoing. Just forward of the dining room was the large pantry as the remodeled kitchen was actually in the basement.” Carlo Paterno in My Family pages 38 & 39
– We go back downstairs to the pantry and see the dumb waiter that brings the food up from the kitchen and can also bring food up to the second or third floor if necessary. There are heating ovens, china cabinets, sink, etc. with a door to outside and terrace. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– We take the back servant’s stairway and go downstairs all underground to the kitchen, servants lounge, servant dining room and servant sleeping quarters all. Beyond these bedrooms do have windows. [Not certain of transcription on last sentence.] Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories

GREENHOUSES
“One could proceed through the dining room into the conservatory, billiard room, swimming pool and greenhouses.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 39-
– “In the late 1920’s after the 75 foot wall was built along Riverside Drive, the Castle grounds were established and a large conservatory, billiard room, new swimming pool and 17 greenhouses (including one just for orchids) were constructed.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 31
– 17 greenhouses with a lush assortment of flowers and orchids surrounded the pool. (Kelley Paterno page 212)
– Once again another set of glass doors [from the billiard room] and you walked down three steps into a series of greenhouses one after the other [rows?] of flowers but specializing in different kinds of orchids. Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
– The pool room led to 17 greenhouses, with many varieties of flowers and orchids. Michael J. Paterno book page 10

“The Castle was razed in 1939 as World War II loomed. The long economic slump was showing recovery and the beginning of war preparedness stirred industrial activity. Our great home of sentimental reminiscences was replaced by five apartment buildings known as Castle Village. The architect, George Fred Pelham, devised an “X Plan” in lieu of a usual central court. This enabled each apartment to have an overview of the river. As an architectural innovation this succeeded so well that it has been imitated by large insurance investment residential complexes in New York.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 47

External Links:
• Paterno Castle on Wikipedia
• Paterno Castle photos on Wikipedia
• Charles V. Paterno: His Castle Ruled Washington Heights
• Paterno’s Castle
• Demolishing A Castle In New York 1938 video
• Riverside Castle to be Unique Among City’s Residences New York Times June 7, 1908
• Streetscapes/Castle Village and Hudson View Gardens in Upper Manhattan; Shadows of an Uptown Castle, and Its Builder By Christopher Gray Sept. 10, 2000
• PATERNO CASTLE
• When Rosa Ponselle Was A Wedding Singer At Paterno Castle
• The Lost 1909 Paterno Castle — 185th Street and Riverside Drive
• Paterno’s Castle
• A Neighborhood of Castles in the Sky: Washington Heights before The Cloisters
• Early History of the Henry Hudson Parkway Corridor

“Alberto Buccini made a contract with defendant Paterno Construction Company (“Paterno”) to decorate the ballroom, banquet hall and swimming pool in a dwelling described as “Paterno’s Castle.” The character of the decorations called for the exercise of artistic skill, and the contract had a provision that all the decorative figured work was to be done by Buccini personally and that only the plain work could be delegated to mechanics. The contract also provided that “All questions that may arise under this contract and in the performance of the work thereunder shall be submitted to arbitration at the choice of either of the parties.” Buccini died while the work was in progress. The contract being personal, the effect of his death was to terminate the duty of going forward with performance, but to leave Buccini liable for benefits received. When the value of the benefits was disputed by the Paterno, plaintiff Flora M.G. Buccini, as executrix of Buccini’s estate, made demand in New York state court that the controversy be submitted to arbitration. Her petition was granted by the trial court, but on appeal, the appellate court determined that the trial court erred in directing the parties to proceed to arbitration. The executrix appealed.” (source)

Matter of Buccini v Paterno Construction Co, 253 NY 256, 170 NE 910 (1930)

Buccini v. Paterno Construction Co.

From the middle of the pergola, where the colonnade interrupted its linear extension to create two round spaces that evoked the castle lookout towers of yore, one could then proceed to the main entrance. An elegant staircase led to the lavish Empire-style entrance with a marble fountain in the middle, the work of a certain Baccini, one of the era’s most famous sculptors. (Renato Cantore)

The Paterno family was in the real estate and construction business, although Charles Paterno had originally studied medicine at Cornell Medical College. Christopher Gray, “Shadows of an Uptown Castle, and Its Builder,” New York Times, September 10, 2000, RE7. In 1970, Carlo Paterno (son of builder Charles V. Paterno) put the apartments were put up for sale, after new rent control laws made the apartments far less lucrative for him. According to a newspaper article, “in the 31 years since the apartments were built, taxes have tripled and the payroll has increased tenfold. The buildings…were valued for tax purposes at $7-million, including land” in 1969. See Glenn Fowler, “Castle Village,
Overlooking River, Sold,” New York Times, August 2, 1970, 207. On May 12, 2005, around 3:00 in the afternoon, a small portion collapsed onto the Riverside Drive access road. Just a few minutes later, a large landslide of rocks and earth fell onto the northbound lanes of the parkway, measuring nearly 20,000 cubic yards. The wall collapse had been imminent with pieces periodically falling off and its structural integrity in question. As of May 2006, repairs have not been made due to a dispute over who is responsible for paying for the reconstruction. Investigation is ongoing as to the cause of the collapse. See Robert D.
McFadden, “Wall Collapses onto a Busy Manhattan Highway,” The New York Times, May 13, 2005; Justin Rocket Silverman, “Wall Collapse Still Probed, One Year Later,” Newsday.com, May 12, 2006. (source)

In 1905, Paterno began purchasing land on Riverside Drive and Northern Avenue (now Cabrini Boulevard) at 182nd Street, on which he intended to build a house for himself. According to Paterno, “back in 1890 I developed a longing to some day build a home on the Hudson at Fort Washington Point, which projects far into the river, commanding a beautiful panorama west, north and south. . . . Many evenings spent with my brothers and sisters I described The Castle we were to occupy some day, when my dreams came true.” On Fort Washington Point, Paterno erected his dream — a mansion designed by John C. Watson “resembling a medieval castle on the Rhine.” Known as ”Paterno’s Castle,” it had white marble interiors, an organ, an indoor swimming pool, and was planned to include a mushroom vault that would be ”without counterpart in any New York home.” When Paterno built his castle, the surrounding neighborhood consisted almost exclusively of other estates. These were built in and around the area that had been the Revolutionary War Fort Washington, where a skirmish in the Battle of Washington Heights took place. Immediately to the east of Paterno’s property was the large estate of newspaper published James Gordon Bennett. Change, however, began to occur rapidly, especially after 1906, when the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway reached Washington Heights. The
area south of 181st Street and the blocks to the east of Broadway became heavily built up, primarily with modest five- and six-story apartment houses. Development in Fort Washington stalled north of 181st Street where the Bennett family refused to sell its property. On June 1, 1919, a New York Sun headline proclaimed “Sale of Bennett Property on Washington Heights will Remove Barrier to Apartment House Building”; the New
York Tribune referred to Bennett’s holdings as a “Chinese Wall.” Bennett’s executors had decided to sell the property and had divided it into five hundred building lots. Paterno had been concerned about the quality of the buildings in the vicinity of his house. He had acquired additional property before 1919 and was the largest purchaser at the Bennett auction, buying land to the north and east of his estate.12 In 1924, he reported that ”to
avoid speculative building of cheap flats on property adjoining my home, I gradually bought up nearly twenty acres.” It is clear that Paterno, a keen real estate developer, purchased this land not only to stop less sensitive developers from building poor-quality housing in the vicinity of his home, but as an investment for future development. However, at the time he purchased the property he had no immediate plans for its development. He used the land on the east side of what is now Cabrini Boulevard as a vegetable garden. But, as the HeraldTribune related, “he discovered in time that his vegetable garden was costing him a lot of money. The city had placed heavy taxes on the property. . . . Figuring out the cost of the property. . . The doctor realized for the first time that tomatoes from this garden cost him about $5 each and carrots $1 each.” “Gradually,” Paterno related, “I began to visualize…what a wonderful group of buildings could be erected on this fine site, the highest point on Manhattan overlooking the magnificent Hudson! Thus, the idea of Hudson View Gardens was born.” National Register of Historic Places Hudson View Gardens

The 1930 [Great Depression] census certifies that three housekeepers, two butlers, a manservant, a personal maid, three gardeners, two florists, two drivers, a builder, a fireman, a caretaker, a typist, and an accountant resided permanently at 182 Northern Avenue (Renato Cantore)

On the third Friday of every month, Minnie Paterno would welcome the ladies of high society to the Castle – wives of property developers, magistrates, bankers, diplomate, and the stars of the silent film world; first date in December, last in April before Minnie went to her summer residence in Armonk; these events would usually begin with an organ recital by Minnie then the guests would sing and dance to the tune of the piano; many guest loved to finish the evening with a dip in the large swimming pool; at Sunday tea dances guests danced to the sound of gramophone records with automatic record changer (Renato Cantore)

“Dr. Charles V. Paterno Buys Kingsley House on Upper Riverside Drive: The Fort Washington Point Corporation, representing Dr. Charles V. Paterno, has purchased for $55,000 from Mrs. Susan B. Kingsley the large residence on Riverside Drive, adjoining his castle property, which is one of the most original and best-known residences in the city. The newly acquired parcel begins on the west side of Northern Avenue, 590.8 feet north of West 181st Street, on which the frontage is 90 feet, and extends through to Riverside Drive, about 238 feet, where there is a frontage of 87 feet.

David Stewart was the broker in the sale. Stoddard & Mark represented the purchaser as attorneys. Although Dr. Paterno did not announce his plans regarding the future of the property, there is a possibility that he will demolish the present building on the site and and add the entire plot to the extensive grounds surrounding his “castle.” The Kingsley house was occupied last year by the Rev. William A. Sunday during his revival campaign in this city.

The other Washington Heights holdings of Dr. Paterno were also transferred yesterday to the Fort Washington Point Corporation. They include his residence, on an irregular plot comprising about 1,051 feet, fronting on Northern Avenue and Riverside Drive, and the adjoining large plot formerly owned by James Gordon Bennett.” The New York Times 6 January 1918

Transcribed from an old James Renner article about Dr. Charles Paterno: “I am Dr. Charles V. Paterno’s nephew. In the late 1920s, my mom used to take me to Paterno Castle and Uncle Charlie used to let me swim in the indoor pool at the Castle. It was really a big treat in those days. At Christmas time, Uncle Charlie used to dress up as Santa and make visits to all his nephews and nieces at their homes and deliver all kinds of wonderful gifts. I lived in the Riverdale section of the Bronx at that time. Later, Dr. Paterno and family moved to Round Hill, Connecticut where he had a very impressive “Castle-like” home. One Sunday we visited him and I saw my first Television movie on a set that used a mirror to show the screen which was flat on top of the set. This was in the later 1930s.” Posted by Michael A. Campagna, Jr. 14 March 2008

Below is a slideshow of images from a photo album belonging to Mina Minton Paterno Schultes showing the castle and its demolition:

Blog article: Paterno Castle To Be Demolished

Excerpt from newspaper article above: “Dr. Charles Paterno, builder of many apartment houses, is the other to erect a fine house in the Fort Washington section. Mr. Paterno has erected a castle of white marble which is one of the show places of that part of the city. The Paterno house is at 181st street….a great pile of marble seated 150 feet over the water. Dr. Paterno spent a small fortune in building the house. In fact it is not completed yet. Along the Drive – under the house there is a pile of marble that is waiting to be put in place. The house has towers at ever corner. A castle of medieval times could not offer a more formidable appearance. Facing the river at the northwest corner of the house is the main tower. It is round and spacious and reaches from the ground to a height of two stories over the house. Its top is a brilliant red which can be seen sticking out from the foliage of the hillside for miles up the river. Dr. Paterno’s house is fashioned after one of the old world castles. It is said that he saw a place in the country of his fore-fathers that made a deep impression on him. It was in surroundings similar to the Fort Washington section. When he decided to build himself a home on the Drive he remembered this castle and had his home built accordingly. From the river the white house 150 feet up among the trees makes an attractive picture. The background of trees intensifies the snowy white turreted building. The house is built on a marble base that reaches to the level of Northern avenue, which at this point is 30 feet over the Drive. It is from Northern avenue that the house is reached. Along the 139 feet on this avenue is a railing ten feet high of marble and iron. It is a massive affair and harmonizes with the architecture of the castle. At the south side of the property and resting on Fort Washington avenue is a two story garage of marble. It too has some turrets, but not as many as the castle diagonally across the lawn. The house does not cover much area. It is compactly built, which adds to its height. It is built as far out on the cliff as it was possible to build it. The gives a lawn of nearly 200 feet between it and the iron and marble railing along Northern avenue. Over the roadway at the entrance to the house is a marble porch with battlement on top, as in the feudal castle of old. In making his dwelling resemble a battlement Mr. Paterno takes advantage of the historical setting of the house. No section has so historical a connection and no part of the city has changed less since the days of the Revolution as Fort Washington. The barriers that nature placed there have kept the ruthless hands of the modern builder from that part of the town. About where Paterno castle stands was a line of earthworks. It was the last line below Fort Tryon, now the site of the Billings house. There were many fierce fights in that territory.”

Caption above: “IT’S RIGHT HERE IN LITTLE OLD NEW YORK. This might be the poet’s “castled crag of Drachenfels” frowning “o’er the wide and winding Rhine” were it not the Hudson River bluffs at 185th Street, with the 35-room residence of Dr. Charles V. Paterno playing the part of the castle.”

Cottage #4 real estate listing with great photos of Castle Village buildings, grounds, and views (110 Cabrini Boulevard)

Ephemeral New York article: Searching for remnants of a stunning 35-room Upper Manhattan castle from 1905