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Bannerman's Castle Is Crumbling
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 30, 2009
Modified Dec 30, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 30, 2009
Modified Dec 30, 2009
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FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
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Photo by Tod Seelie
Last year a group of intrepid explorers made their way over to Bannerman’s Castle, photographing the crumbling site, which in 1967 was sold to New York's Taconic State Park Commission. The castle was crumbling then, but as of last week it's suffered even more damage.
Located 50 miles north of the city, in the Hudson River, the NY Times reports that last Saturday night the castle began to fall apart, destroying two-thirds of the eastern tower and part of an adjacent southern wall. One 99-year-old Bannerman, Jane, told the paper from her Park Avenue apartment: “I knew it was going to happen, because it looked so frail. Over the years, I have painted various stages of its decay.” The castle has already sustained a fire, and now with a gaping hole and the structure falling apart, there's concern over how to stop the deterioration.
The Bannerman Castle Trust founder, Neil Caplan, says, “We know that the structures had been precarious, no matter what, and they could have gone at any time. This is the only castle of its kind, and we’re losing it. This is such an important piece of the Hudson Valley. We want to save what’s there.” Caplan's plan was to use money collected through grants and fund-raising to restore the residence in 2010 — but with the new damage there may not be enough. He won't be able to assess the damage until next week.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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