This month’s weird building comes from Nebraska! Nicknamed The Castle, George and Sarah Joslyn completed one of Nebraska’s greatest homes—a 35-room Scottish Baronial mansion atop a hill on Omaha’s outskirts in 1903.

The four-story house was completed at a cost of $250,000—about $9 million in modern currency. The pace of construction—18 months—was amazing, given the rich use of carved wood, stained glass, chiseled stone, mosaic tiles, and wrought iron. The Castle and the outbuildings were built of Kansas Silverdale limestone.

The Castle includes a reception hall, music room, ballroom, a library and gold drawing room. The basement at one time housed a bowling alley. With the addition of a music room in 1907, the house totaled 19,360 square feet. The interior of the home’s conservatory was designed by famous Chicago-based landscape architect Jens Jensen in 1913.

George Joslyn died in 1916, in his sixties. Sarah lived on the 5.5-acre estate until her death in 1940 at age 88. From 1944 to 1989, the home served as the headquarters of the Omaha Public Schools’ administrative offices. During their residency, many changes were made to the Castle to accommodate the staff including installation of a modern central heating and cooling system, an elevator, and separate male and female restrooms. 

To preserve the integrity of this architectural treasure, the State of Nebraska took possession and in 2010, Joslyn Castle & Gardens, a 501©3 non-profit organization, purchased the Castle and grounds from the state.

The castle is an Omaha Landmark Historic Structure and on the National Register of Historic Places for National Significance. The grounds are part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.

The Joslyn Castle is an example of Scottish Baronial Revival architecture, a romantic outgrowth of the 19th-century Gothic Revival movement.  Examples of Scottish Baronial hallmarks include crow-stepped gables, crenellations, and small turrets or bartizans, and the style can be found in innumerable public and private buildings of this era throughout Great Britain, the United States, and Canada.

 Much has been made of the influence of architect John McDonald’s Scottish ancestry on the choice of Scottish Baronial style for the Castle, but the reality is more complex. The Joslyns, like other Gilded Age millionaires, chose a style that would lend an air of old money and sophistication to their newly found wealth and position.

The specific idea of a Castle for their home might have originated in Joslyn’s youth from Union Pacific Railroad tycoon Jay Gould’s greatly admired home, Lyndhurst, with its medieval towers and extensive greenhouses. A third influence was likely that of another “Castle”, the Chicago home of Marshall Field’s founder, Potter Palmer.  In the 1890s, the Joslyns would have attended Columbian Exposition receptions inside the Potter’s Castle with its crenelated towers and sumptuous historic revival interiors.

Lynhurst may look like a Castle, but it bears little resemblance to the drafty stone ruins of Europe. Like other gilded age mansions it was built with both dramatic ostentation and state of the art domestic technology.

The gracious hall opening up to adjoining rooms with pocket doors, the carved rare woods, the sweeping staircase, the stained glass windows, a ballroom, an Aeolian pipe organ, and historically-themed rooms were coupled with telephones, central heating, gas, electricity, a refrigeration room, and indoor plumbing with bathrooms for each bedroom, one with an elaborate shower. 

The result was conspicuous consumption rooted in tradition announcing the Joslyns were a couple not only of cultivated tastes, but power and influence.

SOURCE: JOSLYNCASTLE.COM

If you’re going to visit Oklahoma, Trip Advisor recommends these destinations!

Bricktown

Bricktown, just east of Oklahoma City’s downtown business district, is the city’s original warehouse and distribution center turned entertainment district. You can go shopping, drink at a bar, dine at one of the many restaurants, and stroll along the Bricktown River Walk Park at your own pace. You can also catch a baseball game at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark or have fun on the sands of Bricktown Beach on summer days. The area is home to a plethora of public art, museums, and galleries, making it one of Oklahoma City’s most vibrant arts districts and a great attraction year-round.

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum, located in Oklahoma City, collects, preserves, and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West. More than 10 million visitors from around the world have sought out this unique museum to gain better understanding of the West: a region and a history that permeates our national culture.

Philbrook Museum of Art

This vast art museum, housed in an Italian style villa, has numerous exhibits from European, American, Asian, Native American and African artists and is surrounded by acres of lush gardens.

Beavers Bend State Park and Nature Center

The Cave House

The Cave House in a landmark in Tulsa. It was built in 1924, as a Chicken Restaurant. Built during prohibition, it was a place you could quench your thirst! It not only has quirky architecture, but it probably best known for its stories, full of interesting and sometimes amusing information. It is a great date, or family adventure, and as the owner I love to share it! It is best to call, or message ahead, as I do not have regular hours. Due to scheduling for private tours and groups, and because travelers request all days and times, I try to schedule according to requests as best as I can. The cost is $15.00 and kids under 13 years are $7.50.

Myriad Botanical Gardens

Myriad Botanical Gardens is one of Oklahoma City’s most beloved public spaces, offering its visitors a 15 acre natural escape in the heart of downtown. A half-acre children’s garden, an off-leash dog park, splash fountains, and paths for walking and jogging provide guests young and old with a place to seek solitude with nature, or seek community and the company of others. The Gardens offers a variety of horticultural education programs for adults and children. The centerpiece attraction of the Gardens is the Inasmuch Foundation Crystal Bridge Conservatory. Its unique design has earned attention and praise in the architectural community. It is 224 feet long, 70 feet in diameter, and is covered by 3,028 sections of translucent, double-layered acrylic panels. After an 18-month, $11 million renovation, it reopened to the public on November 18, 2022.

SOURCE: TRIPADVISOR.COM