I received E-Mail that said:
A castle I know of is in Boston, Massachusetts, about a block south of the Public Gardens. I don't remember its name. As I recall, it was built in the early 20th century by wealthy people (of course) and part of its purpose was to be a safe refuge in case of civil disorder (anarchists, communists, riots of any sort). It's built of stone and has a tall tower at one corner. The bulk of it is one big hall where nowadays there are conventions held. I believe it is owned by a nearby hotel. The castle was built with both gas and electric lighting.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
The "Unknown Castle" in Boston is at the corner of Columbus Ave. and Arlington St. It is an old National Guard Armory that is now used as a function facility.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
The Park Plaza Castle as it is now known is owned by a special friend of ours Donald Saunders who acquired the Castle when he purchased the Park Plaza Hotel. Don is a charming man who was married to and remains a special friend of actress (or is it actor now) Liv Ullman.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
The former armory in downtown boston was in the mid to late nineties owned and operated by the park plaza hotel, one of Boston's foremost hotels, which is located diagonally across the street. It was used as auxiliary convention and meeting space. The interior consisted at that time of a main section with one gigantic room, perhaps with a raised stage on one end, and a tower section at the end nearest the hotel which had one or two small to medium sized rooms on each of (I think) four floors, and a tiny old-fashioned elevator. The woodwork in these rooms was of fantastic quality. In these rooms and the basement were still reminders of the military history of the building, with plaques listing commanders of regiments and a large safe built into a wall. There were catwalks and skylights over the main floor area.
The hotel put the castle up for sale around '96 or so, but then the hotel itself went thru two ownership changes, and I'm not sure whether the castle was ever sold or is still owned by the hotel, or if any renovation has taken place. It would likely be impossible to bring the tower rooms up to ADA (americans with disabilities act) building codes without completely gutting them, and they may be historically landmarked in some way, so present-day uses of the place are somewhat constrained, but the real-estate it sits on is among the most valuable in the country, so the place at least during the 90's was something of a white elephant.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
Not mentioned in the other letters is that the castle once had a dry moat and was fully provisioned with food and arms.
Later, I received E-Mail that said:
Currently, Smith & Wollensky (a steakhouse) currently operates in the building. I am unsure of the current owner of the property, although I'm sure you could find out by contacting someone in the city government.
The Smith & Wollensky site has some good info and pics. http://www.smithandwollensky.com/Boston.asp
On 12-4-08, I received e-mail that said:
our link to S&W is old, here’s the new one:
http://www.bostonparkplaza.com/castle.shtml
On this page is a nice floor plan. The main hall is used for various functions, most notably local beer fests.
On 2-17-09, I received e-mail that said:
Boston or Park Plaza Castle (formerly the Boston Armory, when I was a kid) -- you identify the tall tower, and that the castle was to serve as a refuge in case of unrest by the city's patrician families. That is great and correct. A little more history about the tower we learned as kids: It was built with a direct sight to the State House Dome's cupola so that in case of trouble, those rulers under potential siege in the State House could easily signal the waiting militia stationed in the Armory to move out and quash any rebellion.
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