kids encyclopedia robot

List of castles in the United States facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Cinderella castle day
Cinderella Castle, a famous castle-like building at Walt Disney World.

Welcome to a list of amazing castle-like buildings in the United States! Unlike the old castles in Europe, these buildings aren't true medieval castles. That's because the United States didn't have a medieval period like Europe did. By the time Europeans settled here, real castles were no longer needed for defense.

Most of these "castles" are actually large country homes, fun buildings called follies, or other structures designed to look like castles. They often feature cool architectural styles such as Gothic Revival, Châteauesque (like French castles), Romanesque Revival, Scots Baronial, or Tudor Revival. A few of them were even built as actual forts! This list shares some of these unique buildings from many different states.

Cool Castle-Like Buildings in the U.S.

Many interesting buildings across the United States look like castles. Here are some of the most famous ones:

Castles from A to C

Castles from D to K

Castles from L to R

  • Lambert Castle in Garret Mountain Reservation, Paterson, New Jersey. Built from 1892 to 1893. It has a 70-foot observation tower and an art gallery. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Layton Castle in Monroe, LA. Originally a plantation house from 1814, it was expanded into a castle in 1910. It has a tower and a large covered entrance. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Lookout Mountain Castle in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Built in 1929 over Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain. It's listed as a historic district.
  • Lord's Castle in Waltham, Massachusetts. Completed in 1886, this Baronial style house has a three-story tower. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Loudoun House in Lexington, Kentucky. Built in 1850 and designed by Alexander Jackson Davis.
  • Lucerne Hotel in Lucerne, California. Built in 1926.
  • Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York. A Gothic Revival country house built from 1838 to 1865. It's a National Historic Landmark.
  • Manresa Castle in Port Townsend, Washington. This French-style house was completed in 1892 and is now a hotel.
  • Maryvale Castle in Brooklandville, Maryland. Built in 1912 to look like Warwick Castle in England. It became a Catholic boarding school in 1945 and is now part of Maryvale Preparatory School.
  • Marion Castle in Shippan Point, Stamford, Connecticut. Built from 1914 to 1916, this French-style mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This Tudor Revival style house was built from 1926 to 1929. It's now part of Oakland University and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Melrose in Casanova, Virginia. A Gothic Revival mansion with a three-story tower. Built from 1856 to 1858, it was used by the Union Army during the Civil War. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Built from 1913 to 1916 as a museum for Henry Chapman Mercer's collections. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Montezuma Castle in Montezuma, New Mexico. A 400-room hotel built in 1886, it used to be a popular spot because of nearby hot springs. It's now part of the United World College.
  • Mystery Castle in Phoenix, Arizona. Boyce Luther Gulley built this unique 18-room, three-story castle from 1930 to 1935 using found materials.
  • Nichols Hall at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. Built in 1911 as a gymnasium for the university.
  • Norumbega in Camden, Maine. Completed in 1886, this mansion mixes French, Flemish, and Queen Anne styles. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island. This French-style mansion was built in 1892 for $4.5 million. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York. This huge 109,000-square-foot French-style mansion was built from 1914 to 1919. It's the second largest privately owned home in the U.S. and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Olana in Greenport, New York. Built from 1870 to 1872, it mixes Victorian, Persian, and Moorish styles.
  • Old Georgia State Capitol in Milledgeville, Georgia. Built from 1807 to 1837, it was the first public building in the U.S. built in the Gothic Revival style. It's now part of Georgia Military College.
  • Old Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This Gothic Revival state capitol building was built from 1847 to 1852. It was used as a prison during the Civil War and later rebuilt. It's a National Historic Landmark.
  • Old Main at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. Completed in 1899, it's built in the Gothic Revival style with towers and battlements.
  • Osgood Castle in Redstone, Colorado. Built from 1902 to 1903, this 42-room wooden Tudor Revival castle is listed on the National Register.
  • Overlook Castle in Asheville, North Carolina. Built from 1912 to 1914, this stone Tudor Revival mansion has towers and a crenellated roof. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Piatt Castles in West Liberty, Ohio. These are two stone mansions built by brothers Abram Sanders Piatt and Donn Piatt. Both combine Flemish and Gothic styles and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Piermont Castle (The Cedars or Lord's Castle) in Piermont, New York. Built in 1892, this 15,000-square-foot French-style mansion has thirty rooms.
  • Pyne Castle (Broadview Villa) in Laguna Beach, California. This 62-room French-style mansion was built from 1927 to 1935. It was later turned into apartments.
  • Quinlan Castle in Birmingham, Alabama. Built in 1926, this four-story building has towers on each corner and a rough stone front. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Reid Castle (Ophir Hall) in Purchase, New York. Completed in 1892, this granite castle-style mansion has six stories and 84 rooms. It's now part of the Manhattanville University campus and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Reynolds Castle in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. An Old World-style castle built as a home for Confederate Captain James E. Reynolds.
  • Rhodes Hall in Atlanta, Georgia. Built from 1902 to 1904, it mixes Baronial, French, and Romanesque styles. It's one of the last old mansions on Peachtree Street and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Richthofen Castle in Denver, Colorado. Built from 1883 to 1887, it was supposedly modeled after a castle in Europe.
  • Rocky Hill Castle in Courtland, Alabama. Built from 1858 to 1861, it had connecting walls and a five-story Gothic Revival tower. It was taken down in 1961.
  • Rubel Castle (Rubel Pharm) in Glendora, California. Michael Clarke Rubel built this castle-like home from 1968 to 1988 using concrete, stone, and recycled materials.
  • Rufus Rand Mansion (Lake Office) in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Built in 1931, this French chateau-style home has 63 rooms and 14 fireplaces. It was later used as the global headquarters for Cargill.

Castles from S to Z

  • San Francisco Armory (The Armory) in the Mission District, San Francisco. Built from 1912 to 1914, this brick building has Moorish Revival style with narrow windows and corner towers. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Scotty's Castle in the Grapevine Mountains, Death Valley, California. Built from 1922 to 1931, this two-story villa has two tall towers. It's listed as a historic district.
  • Searles Castle in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Completed in 1883, this stone French-style mansion has 40 rooms and seven turrets. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Searles Castle in Windham, New Hampshire. Built from 1905 to 1915, this stone Tudor Revival mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Shea's Castle (Rock Castle) in Antelope Valley, California. Built in 1924, it's a stone castle-like house with a crenellated roof.
  • Singer Castle (Jorstadt Castle) in the Thousand Islands, New York. Built in 1896 for Frederick Gilbert Bourne of the Singer Corporation.
  • Sky High Castle in Redings Mill, Missouri. Built from 1927 to 1930, this two-story mansion sits on a 180-foot hill and has a four-story tower.
  • Sleeping Beauty Castle in Fantasyland, Disneyland, Anaheim, California. This famous castle opened in 1955 and was used to promote Disney's movie Sleeping Beauty.
  • Smithmore Castle (Smithmore) in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. This private mountain estate was bought and renovated in 2008 and now works as a hotel with a restaurant.
  • Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington D.C.. Built from 1847 to 1855 to house the Smithsonian Institution. This Gothic Revival building is a National Historic Landmark.
  • Squire's Castle in Cleveland, Ohio. Built in the 1890s as a gatekeeper's house for a planned estate that was never finished.
  • Stan Hywet in Akron, Ohio. Built from 1912 to 1915 for Frank Seiberling, founder of Goodyear Tire. This 64,500-square-foot Tudor Revival mansion is the tenth largest house in the U.S. It's a National Historic Landmark.
  • Stokesay Castle in Reading, Pennsylvania. Built in 1931, it looks like a 13th-century castle in England. It's now used for events, dining, and a pub.
  • Stewart's Castle in Washington, D.C. Completed in 1873, this house was taken down in 1901.
  • Stronghold in Oregon, Illinois. Built from 1928 to 1930 for newspaper publisher Walter Strong in the Tudor Revival style.
  • Thornewood in Lakewood, Washington. Built from 1908 to 1911. The bricks for this Tudor Revival mansion were shipped from a 15th-century English manor house! It was used as a set for the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • The Tovrea Castle in Phoenix, Arizona. Built between December 1929 and January 1931, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
  • Uhuburg (Eagle Owl Castle) near Helen, Georgia. Founded in 2008 and opened in 2023, it's a place for learning, with gardens, and a spot for weddings and events.
  • Usen Castle in Waltham, Massachusetts. Built in 1928, it's now part of Brandeis University and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Vikingsholm at Lake Tahoe, California. Built from 1928 to 1929 as a summer home, this 38-room mansion has Scandinavian Gothic influences. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Villa Zorayda (Zorayda Castle) in St. Augustine, Florida. Built in 1883 as a winter home, this Moorish Revival style mansion has arches, a crenellated roof, and a three-story tower. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. Built from 1842 to 1844 as a museum. This Gothic Revival building is the oldest public art museum in the nation. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Ward's Castle in Port Chester, New York. Built in the 1870s, it's an early example of using reinforced concrete. It has a four-story tower and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Waveny House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Completed in 1912, this Tudor Revival mansion was used in the original Batman TV series and the 2004 movie The Stepford Wives.
  • Wesleyan Hall at University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama. Built from 1855 to 1856, this brick Gothic Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Westcott Building at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. Built in 1910 in the Collegiate Gothic style.
  • Wilson Castle in Proctor, Vermont. Built from 1867 to 1875, this three-story mansion mixes Flemish, Baronial, and Romanesque styles. It cost $1,300,000 to build.
  • Wing's Castle in Millbrook, New York. Peter and Toni Wing have been building this stone, timber, and stucco structure since 1970, using mostly recycled materials.
  • Winnekenni Castle in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Built from 1873 to 1875, this stone house has two three-story towers and a crenellated roof.

More to Explore

  • List of castles
  • List of tourist attractions worldwide
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
List of castles in the United States Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.