The last castle isn’t really a castle at all–it was a “summer cottage” built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. It has 70 rooms and 125,000 sq. ft., of which 62,000 is living area. The Breakers was built between 1893-95 at a cost of $11,000,000 ($110,000,000 in today’s dollars). Almost half of the 70 rooms were for the staff, who went about their duties via hidden passageways and doors rarely being seen. Today The Breakers is owned by The Preservation Society of Newport, which conducts tours for about 400,000 visitors per year. The first photo  shows it from the front under construction in 1894 and  then, in the third photo, newly completed in 1895 .  The backyard view is dated 1909 (click to enlarge).

Oheka Castle was built between 1914 and 1919 by financier Otto Herman Kahn (hence, Oheka) on 443 acres on the highest point on Long Island, NY.  It cost $11,000,000 ($110,000,000 in today’s dollars) making it second only to the Biltmore Mansion in Ashville NC as the most expensive home ever built. It has 127 rooms and totals 109,000 square feet and, at its height, employed 127 servants. After Kahn’s death in 1934, it became a military school then retreat for New York Sanitation Workers. In 1936 Kahn’s image was used as the Monopoly Man. Oheka sat idle for five years and then a developer purchased it in 1984. He spent $30,000,000 and 16 years restoring it to its former grandeur–the largest restoration ever! Today it is a wedding venue and a hotel, film, and TV location. Oheka was used in the opening scene of Citizen Kane and is reputed to be the inspiration for the Great Gatsby home. The first photo shows Oheka under construction, the third shows the sanitation workers in 1939, the fifth shows Kahn with Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin.

Far less imposing is Bryan Castle built in Idaho Springs CO in 1880. It was acquired in 1965, and the new owner built a moat and a draw bridge and put in extensive landscaping which now all but hides the home. The first photo is dated 1895 and the third shows it as an apartment building in 1938.

Melrose Castle was built on 50 acres in Casanova VA in 1853. During the Civil War it was occupied by both Union and Confederate forces. Melrose Castle has 9,000 square feet and, after years of neglect,  is now privately occupied. It is seen here in two pictures from 1863.

Located 50 miles north of New York City on a six-acre island in the Hudson River sits a spooky, hulking relic known as Bannerman Castle. It was built by Frank Bannerman VI who, at 13 years of age, took over his father’s military supply business in New York City when his father left to fight in the Civil War.  He purchased 90% of the Spanish American War military surplus and needed space to store 100 tons of black powder.He found the perfect site and built his castle/arsenal starting in 1901. It took seven years to build, mainly because he was constantly changing his design during construction. Later he became the world’s largest supplier of military equipment; his catalog was over 300 pages. In 1920, 200 tons of black powder blew up, and no repairs were ever made. Bannerman Castle was abandoned for 47 years following a devastating fire in 1969 and is now owned by NY Parks and Recreation, which allows for special events, frequent boat tours, and theatrical productions. The first photo shows the Castle under construction, and the third is dated 1905 (click to enlarge).