Hoquiam's Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hoquiam's Castle
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Hoquiam's Castle
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | 515 Chenault Ave., Hoquiam, Washington |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1897-1900 |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001868 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 1973 |
Hoquiam's Castle, also known as the Robert Lytle Mansion, is a super cool old house in Hoquiam, Washington. It looks a bit like a real castle! This amazing home was built between 1897 and 1900. Because it's so special and historic, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
What Does Hoquiam's Castle Look Like?
Hoquiam's Castle is a huge, five-story house made of wood. It sits on a strong foundation of hand-cut stone. The house is mostly built in a style called Richardsonian Romanesque. This means it has big, strong shapes and rounded arches, like old Roman buildings. It also has parts that look like Queen Anne and Shingle style homes.
The front of this massive house, which is about 10,000 square feet (that's like 10 average classrooms!), has wide stone stairs. These stairs are about 12 feet wide, which is super wide! At the top, you'll see a stone arch and two cement lions. The stone for the foundation and stairs came all the way from Tenino, Washington.
On one corner of the house, a cool tower sticks out from the third floor. Inside, the house has more than 20 rooms! The first floor has beautiful golden oak wood everywhere. The main living room has a sparkling chandelier with 600 pieces of crystal. Both the music room and the dining room have huge pocket doors. These doors are 9 feet tall and 5 feet wide, and they slide right into the wall!
The third floor has a big ballroom, perfect for parties. It even has a stage for a band that's 20 feet by 60 feet. In one of the bathrooms on the second floor, there's a special toilet made by a famous person named Thomas Crapper. This mansion was also the very first home in Hoquiam to have electric lights! Imagine how fancy that was back then.
The History of Hoquiam's Castle
The story of Hoquiam's Castle begins with two brothers, Robert and Joseph Lytle. They used to run a grocery store in Fairhaven, Washington. Later, they moved their business to Hoquiam. In the 1880s, Hoquiam became a big center for cutting down trees (logging).
One day, a customer couldn't pay his grocery bill. Instead, he gave the Lytle brothers his logging business. Just like that, the brothers became part of the logging industry!
Robert F. Lytle started building his amazing house in 1897. It was right next door to his brother's house. Robert's house, which everyone started calling Hoquiam's Castle, was finished in 1900.
Not long after the house was completed, Robert Lytle gave it to his niece, Theadosia Bale, as a super generous wedding present! After Theadosia passed away in the 1950s, the house sat empty for many years until 1968. In the early 1970s, the Robert Watson family bought the castle and worked hard to bring it back to life.
For a while, Hoquiam's Castle was even a bed and breakfast where people could stay overnight. How cool would it be to sleep in a castle! When it was sold again in 2004, the new owner allowed it to be set up as a "haunted house" sometimes. This was done to raise money for children's activities – what a fun way to help kids!
