Boldt Castle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Boldt Castle

General information
Architectural style	Châteauesque
Location	Heart Island
Town or city	Alexandria Bay, New York
Country	United States
Coordinates	44°20′40″N 75°55′21″W / 44.344525°N 75.922575°W / 44.344525; -75.922575
Named for	George Boldt
Construction started	1900
Construction stopped	1904
Renovation cost	$15 million (1977)
Owner	Thousand Islands Bridge Authority
Technical details
Floor count	6
Design and construction
Architecture firm	G. W. & W. D. Hewitt

Boldt Castle is a famous landmark and a fun place to visit in the Thousand Islands area of New York. It is open to visitors from mid-May to mid-October each year. The castle sits on Heart Island in the Saint Lawrence River. Heart Island is part of the Town of Alexandria in Jefferson County.

This amazing castle was once a private home for a rich German-American man named George Boldt. Today, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority takes care of it as a popular tourist spot.

History of Boldt Castle
- A Sad Stop to Construction
- Bringing the Castle Back to Life
Visiting Boldt Castle Today
Gallery
See also

History of Boldt Castle

Alster Tower

George Boldt owned the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. He and his family loved spending summers on Heart Island, which was originally called Hart Island. They had a cottage there that they made much bigger.

In 1900, George Boldt started building a huge stone castle. He wanted it to be a special gift for his wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt. He hired architects G. W. & W. D. Hewitt and hundreds of workers. They worked hard to build the six-story castle. There were also four other cool stone buildings on the island.

The Boldts also had a large yacht house on nearby Wellesley Island. This was part of their big summer estate. It included farms, canals, a golf course, tennis courts, stables, and a polo field.

A Sad Stop to Construction

Building the castle suddenly stopped in early 1904. This happened because George Boldt's wife, Louise, sadly passed away. Boldt was heartbroken and never returned to Heart Island. He continued to spend his summers in the Thousand Islands until he died in 1916.

For 73 years, the castle and other stone buildings were left empty. They faced harsh winter weather and were damaged by people.

Bringing the Castle Back to Life

In 1977, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority bought Heart Island and the yacht house for just one dollar. They agreed to use all the money from castle visits to fix it up. This way, the island would be saved for everyone to enjoy.

Restoration work began, and in 1981, a movie called Fear No Evil was filmed there. This was the only time the castle appeared in a movie.

Over the years, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority has spent a lot of money on repairs. By 2020, over $50 million had been used to restore the castle. They fixed things like a beautiful stained glass dome and a marble floor. They also restored the grand staircase woodwork and the kitchen areas. The goal was to bring the island back to how it looked when construction stopped. They have even gone beyond that goal with their improvements.

Visiting Boldt Castle Today

Panoramic view of Heart Island with Boldt Castle

Today, you can reach Boldt Castle by ferry or tour boat. Boats leave from Alexandria Bay, New York, Clayton, New York, and places in Canada like Gananoque, Ontario, Rockport, Ontario, and Ivy Lea, Ontario.

You can explore most of the castle grounds and buildings for a fee. If you have your own boat, you can dock at Heart Island for free. Boldt Castle is a Port of Entry for the United States. This means there is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on Heart Island. Visitors from Canada need proper ID to enter the country.

Exploring the Castle Rooms

Power house

Many rooms on the first and second floors of Boldt Castle are now restored and furnished. On the second floor, you'll find a gift shop and a theater. Here, you can watch a 16-minute film about George Boldt and the castle's history.

Most rooms on the third and fourth floors are not furnished. However, they have exhibits with pictures and old items from the Thousand Islands area. These show what life was like during the "Gilded Age" when the Boldts lived there. Some rooms are left unfurnished so you can imagine how the castle looked before it was restored.

The basement is mostly unfinished. It has a swimming pool, many storage areas, and a long tunnel. This tunnel leads to the Power House.

Other Buildings on Heart Island

The Power House: This building is on the eastern side of the island. It was built to hold a generator that made electricity for the island using steam. Inside, you can learn how power was made in the early 1900s. There are also old photos of the castle being built. A fire almost destroyed the Power House in the 1930s. It was one of the first buildings fixed after the Thousand Island Bridge Authority took over in 1977.

Alster Tower: This unique building looks like an old defense tower from Germany. It was built with slanting walls, ceilings, and roofs on purpose. Alster Tower is on the south side of the island, facing Alexandria Bay. It has a two-lane bowling alley and a stage for shows. The Alster Tower cafe is one of the current restoration projects on the island.

The Entry Arch: At the edge of the island, there is a large archway. This was meant to be the main entrance for boats coming to Heart Island. A bridge connecting the two sides would have been raised and lowered for boats.

The Yacht House

The George C. Boldt Yacht House is on nearby Wellesley Island. It is the only wooden yacht house of its kind still standing. Inside, it has living areas and many old wooden boats. You can take a shuttle from Heart Island to the Yacht House for an extra fee to see these exhibits. The Yacht House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.