Pratt's Castle was a home located in the historic

Gambles Hill Gambles Hill is a neighborhood near Downtown Richmond, Virginia. The neighborhood contains the Virginia War Monument, Historic Tredegar, Brown's Island and the WestRock Corporation. History Modern day Gambles Hill was first occupied by Willi ...

neighborhood of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. Built in 1854, the structure was a rare

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

example of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

History

In 1853–1854, architect William Pratt constructed a castle among other houses atop Gambles Hill, which became known as Pratt's Castle. Pratt modeled the castle after the estates of his

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ancestors. The castle was highly visible from

Oregon Hill Oregon Hill is a historic working class, working-class neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. Oregon Hill overlooks the James River (Virginia), James River and Belle Isle (Virginia), Belle Isle, and provides access to Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, ...

in Richmond and considered a notable local landmark. The castle was noted for its opulent exterior and interior craftsmanship."Gamble Hill". ''Daily Dispatch.'' 4 February 1853. The place was built on a foundation of

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

with a wooden structure covered by rolled

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...

from

Tredegar Iron Works The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia, was the biggest ironworks in the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and a significant factor in the decision to make Richmond its capital. Tredegar supplied about half the artillery used b ...

, which was embossed and painted to resemble

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

. The building was constructed with

crenelated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

towers, its entrance hall and parlor included stained cathedral glass, it was filled with Gothic decorations and contained a

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

in the basement, and its construction included a number of hidden passageways and secret staircases. In one room, while standing on the hidden stairs, one could look into the room below through the eyes of a painting on a wall. Pratt's Castle was the home of General Charles Henningsen during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. For a period in the early 1900s, the home was owned by Samuel H. Cornick and his wife Henrietta, the daughter of

Mayor of Richmond The Mayor of the City of Richmond, Virginia is head of the executive branch of Richmond, Virginia's city government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces ...

Joseph C. Mayo. During a two-day 1940s open house, an estimated 14,000 people visited the castle. In 1957, the

Ethyl Corporation Ethyl Corporation is a fuel additive company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States. The company is a distributor of fuel additives. Among other products, Ethyl Corporation distributes tetraethyl lead, an additive used to make ...

purchased six acres of property atop Gambles Hill, including Pratt's Castle. Despite local Richmond preservationists' objections, Pratt's Castle was ultimately destroyed and replaced with the Ethyl Corporation Building, a

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

structure designed by Carneal and Johnston architects, and a landscape by

Charles Gillette Charles Freeman Gillette (1886–1969) was a prominent landscape architect in the upper South who specialized in the creation of grounds supporting Colonial Revival architecture, particularly in Richmond, Virginia. He is associated with the rest ...

References

Castles in the United States Gothic Revival architecture in Virginia Houses completed in 1854 Houses in Richmond, Virginia {{Virginia-struct-stub