Leland Castle
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Leland Castle
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| Location | 29 Castle Pl., New Rochelle, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°53′52″N 73°46′53″W / 40.89778°N 73.78139°WCoordinates: 40°53′52″N 73°46′53″W / 40.89778°N 73.78139°W |
| Area | 2.62 acres (10,600 m2) |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | William Thomas Beers |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 76001291 |
| Added to NRHP | August 27, 1976 |
Leland Castle (also known as Castle View) is a building in New Rochelle, New York. It was constructed during the years in 1855 - 1859 in the Gothic revival style, and was the country residence of Simeon Leland, a wealthy New York City hotel proprietor. Leland began to assemble an estate as early as 1848, and in 1855 began the erection of this palatial sixty room mansion. The home was designed by New York City architect William Thomas Beers. A north and south wing were added to the castle in 1899 and 1902 respectively.
Leland Castle and the surrounding property have since been incorporated as part of the campus of the College of New Rochelle. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and the New York State Register in 1980.
The main structure is a 2 1⁄2-story, Gothic Revival home constructed of coarse granite stone. The exterior is enhanced on the southeast corner by a tall square tower, by an hexagonal tower on the northeast, and a round tower on the northwest. The main entrance on the eastern facade is framed by a Gothic pointed arch. Tall, black walnut doors ornamented with lion's heads are flanked by slender sidelights crowned with Gothic details. All windows are decorated with Gothic tracery and topped with heavily molded labels. As late as 1890 a wooden porte cochere with an open balcony above it stood before the main entrance. Two wooden verandas also opened out from the original building, as did a greenhouse on the south end. All these had disappeared before 1900. The greenhouse was replaced by a veranda, which in turn was replaced in 1897 by a room that followed the outlines of the original greenhouse.
The entrance hall features walnut paneling and a blue and gold Minton tiled floor. The gothic style library contains a bay window with stained and etched glass borders, original interior shutters and bookcases, and one of the three original fireplaces in the mansion. Some of the first floor rooms are in the Renaissance style, with round arched doorways. The music room arches are crowned with rococo crests bearing busts of English sovereigns. In the dining room, a Renaissance style sideboard and mantel, originally designed for this room, contrast with the Gothic diamond paned windows with etched, amber colored, stained glass borders. The sliding doors between the dining and drawing rooms retain their panels of etched glass.
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