Joslyn Castle facts for kids
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Joslyn Castle
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View from the south
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 Location in Nebraska
Location in the United States
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| Location | Omaha, Nebraska |
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| Built | 1903 |
| Architectural style | Scottish Baronial |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000747 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | 1972 |
The Joslyn Castle is a beautiful old mansion in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It's officially called the "George and Sarah Joslyn Home" or "Lynhurst." This amazing building looks like a castle and is located in the Gold Coast Historic District.
It was built in 1903 in a style called Scottish Baronial, which means it looks like old castles from Scotland. Because of its history and unique look, Joslyn Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was also named an Omaha landmark in 1979.
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History of Joslyn Castle
Who Built the Castle?
The Joslyn Castle was the home of George and Sarah Joslyn. George Joslyn became very rich in the newspaper business. He owned a big company called the Western Newspaper Union.
The Joslyns were very generous people. They gave money to many organizations in Omaha. Sarah Joslyn's gift even helped create the famous Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.
Designing the Castle and Gardens
A local architect named John McDonald designed Joslyn Castle. George Joslyn bought the land, which was a farm outside Omaha, in 1893. He started making it beautiful right away.
A famous landscape architect, Jens Jensen, designed the gardens. He also created the rock work and pools for the conservatory inside the house.
Castle Design and Features
What Does the Castle Look Like?
Joslyn Castle is a huge mansion with 35 rooms and four stories. It also has a separate carriage house tower, which was built in 1901, before the main castle.
The property includes 5 acres (about 20,000 square meters) of amazing gardens. There were also greenhouses, which were finished in 1899. Large, grown-up trees were planted all over the 5.5-acre grounds. Sarah Joslyn loved plants and collected rare ones from all over the world, including beautiful orchids.
Inside the Castle
The Friends of Joslyn Castle say the house was built very quickly, in just eleven months. It cost $250,000 at that time, which was a huge amount of money!
Inside, the Castle has many grand rooms. These include a large reception hall, a music room, a ballroom, a library, and a fancy gold drawing room. At one point, there was even a bowling alley in the basement! With the music room added in 1906, the house grew to 19,360 square feet (about 1,798 square meters).
The Castle and the carriage house were built using a special type of stone called Kansas silverdale limestone. The main entrance has a heavy wrought iron door that weighs over a ton!
The 1913 Tornado
How the Storm Affected the Castle
On March 23, 1913, a very strong tornado hit Omaha. It destroyed many parts of the central and north areas of the city. Joslyn Castle was lucky and only had slight damage.
Inside the house, some furniture, artwork, and statues were ruined. George Joslyn said it would take fifteen years to make the gardens look as good as they did before. The greenhouses were partly destroyed.
After the Tornado
The Joslyns decided not to rebuild their greenhouses. Instead, they gave the metal frame to Hanscom Park, where it was used as a greenhouse for fifty years. In the Castle's conservatory, many of Sarah Joslyn's orchids and tropical plants died. This happened because cold and snow followed the tornado.
The storm also destroyed a small lake and a bridge west of the Castle. Today, the bridge is still there, and you can see the outline of where the small lake used to be. The home was repaired quickly. That fall, the Castle hosted a big party for the wedding of the Joslyns' daughter, Violet.
Recent History of the Castle
New Uses for the Building
In 1944, Joslyn Castle became the main office for the Omaha Public Schools district. In 1958, the school district used some of the walls from the original greenhouses to build a new office area.
In 1989, the school system moved to a bigger building. This new building was the former Tech High School. After the school district moved, the Castle became property of the State of Nebraska.
The Castle Today
In 1996, Joslyn Castle became home to the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities. This group was in charge of taking care of and preserving the historic property for the State of Nebraska. In December 2010, the State of Nebraska sold Joslyn Castle to the Joslyn Castle Trust. This is a private group created specifically to maintain the historic property.
Today, the Castle gives its name to the neighborhood around it, called the Joslyn Castle neighborhood. It is also a special site in the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
You can visit the Castle and its grounds! They are open to the public for tours, special events, and even for private rentals.
