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24-657: George Boldt , proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and manager of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia , and his family enjoyed an earlier frame cottage on Hart Island (the island's original name) for several summers, which they greatly expanded. In 1900, George Boldt launched an ambitious construction campaign to build a huge masonry structure, one of the largest private homes in

48-624: A Swiss-chalet-style mansion, "La Manzanita," in Montecito , Santa Barbara, California . Boldt died on December 5, 1916, in Manhattan, New York City of a heart attack . He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery , Bronx, New York. Boldt once owned Nikola Tesla 's Wardenclyffe Tower property, receiving it as payment for a debt. Tesla mortgaged the property to Boldt and the Waldorf-Astoria to pay

72-466: A golf course, tennis courts, stables, and a polo field. The construction of Boldt Castle ceased abruptly in early 1904 after the death of Boldt's wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt. Boldt never returned to Heart Island, but continued to spend summers in the 1000 Islands until his death in 1916. For 73 years, the castle and other stone structures were left exposed to the harsh winter weather and vandals. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island and

96-628: A request to his children that they continue to financially support the charities he had donated to in the past. While the will gave his children the right to dispose of any or all of Boldt's properties, they made no plans to sell any of their father's holdings, with George Charles Boldt Jr. assuming the presidency of the company his father began. From his marriage to Louise Augusta Kehrer, he had two children: George Charles Boldt Jr. and Clover Louise Boldt, later Mrs. Alfred Graham Miles, and three granddaughters. Citations Bibliography George C. Boldt Yacht House George C. Boldt Yacht House

120-544: A shuttle from Heart Island to the Yacht House on Wellesley Island to tour these exhibits. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The 1969 children's novel Secret Castle by Anne Colver is about the castle and Alexandria Bay. George Boldt George Charles Boldt Sr. (April 25, 1851 – December 5, 1916) was a Prussian -born American hotelier . A self-made millionaire, he influenced

144-426: A two-lane bowling alley and stage for performances. The Alster Tower cafe is one of the restoration projects currently taking place on the island. The George C. Boldt Yacht House on nearby Wellesley Island represents the only remaining wooden yacht house structure of this kind. The interior features extensive living quarters and a number of antique and wooden boats. For an additional admission fee, visitors can take

168-578: Is a historic yacht house located on the northeast shore of Wellesley Island near Alexandria Bay in Jefferson County, New York . It was commissioned by George Boldt to house the many watercraft he owned and is adjacent to Boldt Castle . The yacht house was designed by the Philadelphia architects G. W. & W. D. Hewitt and built in 1903. It is a massive, eclectic, Shingle-style structure composed of five elements, which are: The yacht house

192-465: Is also named for him. Three bricks from the original structure of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel were incorporated into the building. Saying that his father always sympathized with an eager student whose only impediment to higher education was a lack of funds, Boldt's son George C. Boldt Jr. established a scholarship program at Cornell bearing his father's name in 1922. During his lifetime, Boldt

216-474: Is credited with popularizing Thousand Island dressing at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, where he instructed the maître d' , Oscar Tschirky , to include it on the menu. The hotel introduced other popular food items, such as Waldorf Salad . Boldt also owned the Waldorf Astoria Segar Company , which imported fine Cuban cigars and was located at the hotel. He built Boldt Castle on an island in

240-552: The Thousand Islands area of New York State . The enormous castle was intended as a gift for his wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt, but when she died suddenly on January 7, 1904, in Manhattan, at the age of 42, construction was halted. The castle, near Alexandria Bay , was restored after decades of vandalism and is now a major summer tourist attraction. Towards the end of his life, he commissioned architect Francis T. Underhill to build him

264-680: The Thousand Islands region Nearly destroyed by a fire in the 1930s, the Power House was one of the first restoration projects completed after the Thousand Island Bridge Authority acquired it in 1977. Alster Tower was modeled after a Rhineland defense tower in Germany and purposely constructed with slanting and uneven walls, ceilings, and roofs. This unique structure sits on the south side of the island facing Alexandria Bay, and boasts

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288-536: The Thousand Islands region during the Gilded Age in which the Boldts lived. Rooms are also left unfurnished to give the visitor an opportunity to imagine what the castle looked like before the Thousand Island Bridge Authority's restoration efforts. The basement is mostly unfinished, with a swimming pool, many compartments, and a long tunnel passage to the Power House. At the edge of the island, a large peristyle archway stands as

312-465: The United States. He engaged the architectural firm G. W. & W. D. Hewitt and hundreds of workers to build a six-story castle as a present to his wife. In addition, four other masonry structures on the island are architecturally notable. Equally distinctive is a huge yacht house on neighboring Wellesley Island , where the Boldts had another summer home and a vast estate, incorporating farms, canals,

336-531: The castle and surrounding structures. Today, Boldt Castle is accessible by ferry or tour boat from Alexandria Bay, New York , Clayton, New York , Gananoque, Ontario , Rockport, Ontario , and Ivy Lea, Ontario . Most of the grounds and buildings can be explored by the public for a fee. Private boaters may also dock at Heart Island for free. Boldt Castle is a Port of Entry and has a U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on Heart Island. Visitors coming from Canada require appropriate identification to check in to

360-445: The costs of his residence at the hotel when he encountered financial difficulties. Tesla did so first in 1904 and again in 1908; he was unable to repay the mortgages. Boldt and the Waldorf-Astoria foreclosed on the property in 1915. He was a trustee of Cornell University . In 1923, Boldt's daughter, Mrs. Alfred G. Miles, donated US$ 50,000 to the university for the construction of Boldt Tower to honor her father's memory. Boldt Hall

384-493: The country, as visiting the island is considered entering the United States. All of the rooms on the first floor and second floors of Boldt Castle are restored and furnished. The second floor houses the Gift Shop and Theatre, where visitors can view a 16-minute documentary about George Boldt and Boldt Castle. Most of the rooms on the third and fourth floors are unfurnished, but there are exhibits of pictures and original artifacts of

408-541: The development of the urban hotel as a civic social center and luxury destination. He was born as Georg Karl Boldt in Bergen auf Rügen , Pommern , on April 25, 1851. He immigrated to the United States in 1864. He began as a kitchen worker in New York and, at age 25, was hired (by his future father-in-law) to manage the dining room of Philadelphia's most exclusive gentlemen's club, The Philadelphia Club . Boldt's first hotel

432-683: The five decades after acquiring the property, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority spent around $ 15 million for restoration and improvements with work continuing annually. The initial goal of the restoration of Heart Island was not to finish what had not been completed, but to restore the island to the state it was in when construction was halted. Improvements have surpassed that goal, as a stained glass dome, marble floor, grand staircase woodwork, butler's pantry, servant's dining room and kitchen were restored. As of 2020, over $ 50 million had been spent on restoration and rehabilitation work on

456-608: The highest prices for the very best, and becoming one of them in the process. William Waldorf Astor built the Waldorf Hotel (1890–93) in New York City , with Boldt as proprietor. John Jacob Astor IV built the adjoining Astoria Hotel (1897). Boldt mediated between the feuding millionaire cousins, leasing the Astoria himself, and merging the two buildings under his management as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel . The Empire State Building now occupies its site at 34th Street and 5th Avenue. He

480-447: The intended original entrance way for boats to Heart island. The bridge connecting the two sides would have been raised and lowered as required. The Power House is located on the eastern edge of the island, and was built to hold a generator to supply the island with power via steam generator. Exhibits inside describe how power was obtained in the early 1900s, and hosts a small display of historic photographs of Boldt Castle construction and

504-399: The nearby yacht house in 1977, for one dollar, under the agreement that all revenues obtained from the castle operation would be applied towards restoration, so that the island would be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. In 1981, the movie Fear No Evil was filmed at several sites in and around Boldt Castle, marking the only time the castle has made an appearance in cinema. In

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528-549: Was a frequent donor to Cornell University, the American Red Cross , many local hospitals and built a library at Alexandria Bay, New York . Boldt also helped put at least 75 young men through college, doing this anonymously. He also assisted those in business who were having financial difficulties and told employees at his hotels if they were having monetary problems, his door was always open to them. Boldt's will equally divided US$ 15 million between his son and daughter, with

552-523: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. On display in the yacht house is the steam yacht Kestrel , as well as various other vintage boats, a number of which are on loan from the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York . This article about a historic property or district in Jefferson County , New York , that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ,

576-699: Was the Bellevue (1881), at the northwest corner of Broad & Walnut Streets, in Philadelphia. He soon bought a competing hotel, the Stratford, at the southwest corner. Two decades later, on the site of the Stratford, he built the largest hotel the city had ever seen, the 1,090-room Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (1902–04, now the Hyatt ). The enormous fortunes generated by robber barons in the post- Civil War Era led to an unprecedented level of luxurious living for wealthy Americans. Boldt catered to this new super-rich class, charging

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