The Red Baron's legacy remains at Richthofen Castle
When American businesses finally began to eclipse the success of their European counterparts, the robber barons took to real estate to show off their massive wealth, building meticulously detailed mansions as a testament to their fortunes.
Baron Walter Von Richthofen, uncle of the famed flying ace “The Red Baron,” built this Denver mansion in 1887, in homage to his ancestral home, on 335 acres. Today, the acreage has been cut down to just one gated acre, but the architectural majesty of the mansion remains. Measuring almost 15,000 square feet, the Castle (McMansion) has 35 rooms, including “drawing room, library, music alcove, servants quarters, butlers pantry, billiards room, Red Baron bar, eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms.” Listed as a National Landmark, the castle is on the market for $3.75 million.
Fairholme in Newport, RI
Perhaps no one American town benefited more from the architectural arms race of the Gilded Age than Newport, where the like of the Astors and Vanderbilts constructed lavish Summer home in the European style. This one, known as Fairholme, was built in 1875 to designs by Frank Furness and featured a ballroom by Horace Trumbauer. Fairholme was among the first of Newport’s great waterfront mansions. Later owned by the Drexel family, Count Alphonso Villa, and railroad baron Robert Young, it has been visited over the years by luminaries like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and John F. Kennedy. The 20,000 square foot main house presides over 4.3 acres of waterfront lawn, with an enormous walled swimming pool, pool house and carriage house.
This is from an article by Rob Bear, Curbed, in Yahoo Real Estate, May1, 2012. There are more to be continued. But all of them cannot hold a candle (pardon the cliche) to our own Connecticut McMansion, Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, CT. You will have to come back next week to read the rest of the story.
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Are you from Bangladesh? I have been there. Malumghat, Chittagong, Dakka.
I agree with Katy.
Anyone who would cut all that beautiful acreage should be shot. Criminal, I say:-) Great post Gail.
Can you imagine? Land is a precious commodity. Everyone wants to use it for profit. And they do. Thanks Paula.
Paula, I so enjoyed your workshop. I did not know you are a black belt. I loved your demonstrations and form. Gerald is a good sport. My son Rick is a black belt. He garnered it when he was still living under my roof, so I know what you have to go through to obtain the, yellow, brown and black. You are so accomplished. Amazing lady.
Hi Katy, Hi Gail! not unusual–definitely not that. I meant a big expanse of an entry that is unusable, as in an open space with stairs leading up and another set leading down and not really a room where you can do things, not even greet guests properly. There’s always a huge window and tall ceilings with some sort of light/fan fixture hanging down that’s so high up, it’s impossible to dust.
Also I think of mcmansions as packed in — not exactly cheek by jowl but definitely less space than you’d expect for a house that size.
Ha, those are INTERESTING mcmansions. I thought you were going to talk about the houses with the huge foyer as soon as you walk in the front door and strange unuseable spaces that were all built in the 1990s
Katy R., look next Thursday. I will have more. Thank you for your comments.
Chuckle Katy. Thanks for the comment. And I agree, I wonder what happened to the other 334 acres? Farmland, or Condos for skiers? You are decadent aren’t you, 20 horses, and how many Ferrari’s was that? We just got done throwing everything we collected for the last fifty or so years. The walls of the house were bulging. Rather than buy this 35 room McMansion, we decided to throw out all and stay in our sweet little home.
I’ll take it! That’s pocket change, right?
What I can’t believe is that the acreage was cut down so drastically. 335 acres down to one? If I had a home like that, I’d want at least 20. 🙂 I mean where am I going to put the horses and the Ferraris that I will collect? 🙂
I am not selling. Wouldn’t that be a coo, if I had it to sell. Thanks Katy for your post.