William E. Ward House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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William E. Ward House
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South elevation and west profile, 2008
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| Location | Rye Brook, NY; Greenwich, CT |
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| Nearest city | Rye, NY |
| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1873–76 |
| Architect | William E. Ward, Robert Mook |
| Architectural style | Second Empire, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001294 |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
The William E. Ward House is also known as Ward's Castle. It is a unique building located on Magnolia Drive. This house sits right on the state line between Rye Brook, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut.
What makes Ward's Castle special is how it was built. It is one of the very first buildings in the United States made from reinforced concrete. This strong material uses steel bars inside concrete to make it extra durable.
The house was built in the 1870s by William E. Ward, who was a mechanical engineer. He worked with his friend, architect Robert Mook. Ward wanted to show everyone that concrete was a great material for building. Later, Mort Walker, who created the famous comic strip Beetle Bailey, bought the house. He turned it into the Museum of Cartoon Art, which was open until 1992.
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The Unique Building
Ward's Castle is in a neighborhood not far from NY 120A. Most of the house's 8-acre (3.2 ha) property is in Connecticut. From the house, you can even see Long Island Sound. A short driveway leads to the house from Magnolia Avenue.
How it was Built
The entire building is made of reinforced concrete. This includes the walls, the foundation, and even the mansard roof. Wood was only used for the frames around doors and windows. This made the house very strong and fireproof.
A tall, four-story tower rises from one corner of the house. It looks like a castle tower with its parapet and decorative features. This tower, like the house, has fake quoins (corner stones) on its lower levels. A smaller section of the house sticks out to the west.
Outside Features
The front of the house has a porch that wraps around it. This porch has round columns. Part of the house and its tower are in Connecticut, while another part is in New York. The mansard roof has windows that stick out, called dormer windows. There are also concrete chimneys.
At the back of the house, a two-story service area connects to a water tower. This water tower looks similar to the main house's tower. Another small section of the house extends from the east side, overlooking the parking area.
Inside the House
On the first floor, there's a main hallway. From here, you can enter the drawing room, a reception room, and the dining room. A breakfast room and sun room are in the house's wing. The second floor has another central hallway. This leads to three bedrooms and a library. The library has beautiful woodwork. The floor above has more bedrooms and storage space.
Other Buildings and Land
The only other building on the property is the caretaker's cottage. It's a two-story wooden house built in the late 1800s. It sits among trees north of the main house. The property also has many different kinds of ornamental trees.
History of Ward's Castle
William E. Ward worked with architect Robert Mook for three years to build this house. Ward's main goal was to build a house that could not burn down. His mother was very afraid of fire, which made him even more determined.
A Fireproof Design
The house was made completely from Portland cement and light iron beams and rods. Even the roof used these materials. Only the door and window frames, and their decorations, were made of wood. This made it truly fireproof.
Mook designed the house to fit the popular styles of the time. The main part of the house, with its mansard roof, shows the Second Empire architectural style. The more Gothic-looking tower offers amazing views of Long Island Sound. The other tower was a water tower. It provided extra fire protection and drinking water. Ward and Mook left the concrete unfinished. They wanted to show off the material itself.
Famous and Important
Even before it was finished, architectural magazines wrote about Ward's Castle. When it was completed in 1876, even more articles appeared, including in magazines overseas. In 1883, Ward himself gave a presentation about how the house was built to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Some people call Ward's Castle the first known reinforced concrete building in the United States. (Another building, the Coignet Building in Brooklyn, was finished a bit earlier in 1872-73.) Experts have always recognized how important this house is. They called it "one of the most remarkable achievements of building art in the century."
At first, Ward's neighbors called it "Ward's Folly." They thought it would fall apart. But when it survived, they started calling it "Ward's Castle." The house has stayed mostly the same over the years, except for two newer sections.
The Cartoon Museum
From 1976 to 1992, the castle was home to the Museum of Cartoon Art. Mort Walker, the creator of Beetle Bailey, started the museum two years earlier. He bought the old building for $60,000. Walker fixed up the house and ran the museum with his family. It became very popular, attracting up to 75,000 visitors each year.
Ward's Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The next year, it was also named a National Historic Civil and Concrete Engineering Landmark. This was a joint honor from the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio William E. Ward para niños
