Design Diversions
fl

  • About
  • Diversions
  • Map
  • News
  • Support DD
  • Contact

Bannerman Castle

     

Themes
Architecture, Business, Design, Design History, Landscape
Location
Hudson Valley, NY



Well, the leaves hadn’t yet peaked, but we had a stunning day. Bannerman Castle is located on Pollepel Island, half an hour by boat from Beacon.

Our tour guide was Neil Caplan, the Executive Director of the Bannerman Castle Trust, which is working to maintain and restore the island (a massive undertaking–please consider making a donation through Paypal or Crowdrise). The structures aren’t stable, and we were issued hard hats as though collapse were imminent (which it may be; part of the main tower fell during a winter storm in 2009).

Neil is a character, and we heard many stories, true and apocryphal, about the island and its structures. Bannerman, a Scottish-born munitions dealer, built his arsenal at the turn of the century in the form of a Scottish castle. References to thistles and the St. Andrews flag abound. Over the years fire, weather, neglect and other misfortunes have left it in ruins. Poison ivy vines (possibly planted intentionally to keep people away) seem to support what’s left.

The island, part of the Hudson Highlands State Park, is closed to the public, but you can visit on a tour between May and October; in the meantime you’ll get a glimpse of it from Metro-North or Amtrak, where the giant lettering on its facade acts as a billboard for an illustrious story.

 
SHARE

Tweet





 



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>


SHARE :
Tweet
 

     

RELATED PROJECTS


credit: Ethan Arnowitz
Globus Cork

Such a fun and interesting visit to Globus Cork! A renewable material from the bark of the cork oak,…

credit: Denise Ramzy
Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility

What a breathtaking site! We arrived to the Sims MRF in Sunset Park just before dusk and were treated…

credit: Denise Ramzy
Mana + Richard Meier Model Museum

To think that the mundane world of storage would lead to such a great example of adaptive…




fl

About Design Diversions

Design Diversions is a curated series of design-related events and visits in and around New York. DDs cover a mix of art, architecture & design, and generally fall under the rubric of built environment.

Who is curating?

Denise Ramzy is a designer and educator whose work bridges multiple disciplines in the built environment. She loves to orchestrate at all scales–buildings, diversions & good meals. You can follow her @dramzy.

Subscribe to hear about upcoming DDs



  • About
  • Diversions
  • Map
  • News
  • Support DD
  • Contact