William E. Ward House
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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 |
| Coordinates | 41°1′33″N 73°40′1″W / 41.02583°N 73.66694°WCoordinates: 41°1′33″N 73°40′1″W / 41.02583°N 73.66694°W |
| Area | 8 acres (3.2 ha) |
| Built | 1873–76 |
| Architect | William E. Ward, Robert Mook |
| Architectural style | Second Empire, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 76001294 |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1976 |
The William E. Ward House, known locally as Ward's Castle, is located on Magnolia Drive, on the state line between Rye Brook, New York and Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It is a reinforced concrete structure built in the 1870s.
Ward, a mechanical engineer, built the house with his friend Robert Mook to demonstrate the viability of the material for building. It is the first reinforced concrete building in the United States. It was later purchased by Mort Walker, creator of the comic strip Beetle Bailey, who opened it as the Museum of Cartoon Art until 1992.
The house is located in a residential neighborhood a short distance from where state highway NY 120A leaves the state line for a southwesterly heading into downtown Port Chester. Most of the house's 8-acre (3.2 ha) lot is located on the Connecticut side of the state line, where it is open and slopes downward to the east and the Byram River. Because of this it is possible to see Long Island Sound from the house. A short driveway leads in from Magnolia Avenue on the Rye Brook side.
The building itself is made entirely of reinforced concrete, from the foundation to the mansard roof that caps the two-story main block. Wood was used only for door and window frames. A four-story machicolated tower with parapet rises from the southeast corner. Like the house it has imitation quoins on the corners of its lower two stories. A one-story wing projects to the west.
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