As a little girl, I often imagined myself as a princess in a castle. Ironically, the make-believe castle that headlined my childhood fantasies was never linked to a price tag; as money was not an obstacle in those early visualizations. Even as “adulting” brought reality into full view and my mind started to drift away from visions of a perfect paradise; I held on to my affinity for castles. These magnificent structures that have survived fires, vandalism, generational trauma and stood up against the test of time. Regardless of how they were built or where they were built, it is their individual stories that continue to intrigue me.
While America doesn’t have nearly as many castles as Europe, there was one particular castle minutes away from Canada that had been on my “must-see” list for years. Thousand Islands in upstate New York was one of the first places that my grandmother visited with her Club Femme travel group (CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT HOW MY GRANDMOTHER STARTED CLUB FEMME ). Before I was even old enough to drive, hearing the way that my grandmother spoke about the beauty of the region, feed my desire to explore Boldt Castle (located on New York’s Heart Island).
Boldt Castle’s grand spires rise up like a cathedral and soar above the tranquil waters of the St. Lawrence River. As I walked into the foyer of this restored, but not fully renovated 120 room castle, my eyes were immediately drawn upwards towards the ornately adorned stained glass dome! I felt as though I was stepping back in time as I glided down the grand staircase towards the marble floor.
A unique blend of nature, grandeur and history, I was just as much drawn to the story behind the previous owner of the castle as I was to its jaw dropping décor.
The story of Heart Island’s Boldt Castle is a tragic love story that speaks of the remarkable love a man had for his wife and the great lengths he would go to create a monument of his adoration for her. Built by a penniless Prussian immigrant-turned fabulously wealthy New York City hotelier. John Jacob Astor IV built the adjoining Astoria Hotel (1897). George Boldt mediated between the feuding millionaire cousins, leasing the Astoria himself, and merging the two buildings under his management as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
The six-story castle was intended as a Valentine’s Day gift for Boldt’s wife, but construction was halted when she died suddenly in 1904. Never returning to Heart Island, Boldt left the structure as a monument of his love.
Aiming to create more that just a monumental structure to live forever as a part of his legacy; Boldt was a frequent donor to Cornell University, the American Red Cross and local hospitals. He also anonymously helped put at least 75 young men through college.
My visit to Boldt Castle was the inspiration for the June 2020 Pink Girls Run The World trip to France where our group will be staying in a PINK CHATEAU (CLICK HERE TO GET TRIP DETAILS). Will you be joining Pink Girls Run The World in France this summer?
“All of our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them”