Simeon Leland was a prominent New York businessman and hotelier during the late 1800s. He made his wealth while operating the Metropolitan Hotel located on fashionable

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in lower

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Opened in 1852 to cater to travelers and residents who wanted to enjoy luxuries like bathrooms, running water, elevators, and fine dining, the Metropolitan attracted many Southern businessmen and their families who often came to New York in the summer to escape the extreme heat of the South. Leland also began assembling an estate around this time, first purchasing a 40-acre property in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

overlooking

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

in 1848. Like many successful New York businessmen at that time, he took advantage of the railroads' development into the rural areas out of the city, carefully planning and designing a country residence for graceful and stylish living. In 1855, he began the erection his palatial 60-room,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

mansion, "Castle View", which took almost five years to complete. Just as he was famous for his well-run and fashionable Metropolitan Hotel, Leland's home became equally famous as he entertained there regularly. New Yorkers were not enthusiastic backers of 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 ...

, knowing that it would adversely affect commerce and New York hotels in particular. As a way to offset his losses, Leland had leased and then purchased Davids Island near his New Rochelle home, purportedly for a hotel, but his financial reverses forced him to lease, and then sell the island to the US government in 1862, where a military hospital was established. In 1864, Simeon Leland and his brothers took over the management of the Union Hotel in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, the popular

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

and resort for wealthy and an American equivalent to the famous water spas of Europe. In their famous lavish style, they redecorated the hotel and hosted nightly entertainments, balls, and fireworks displays to entertain their hotel guests and others. Many Union generals and officers were entertained at the Union Hotel. Unfortunately, a combination of factors including over-investment in the hotel, and economic downturn in New York City due to the war, pushed the Leland brothers into bankruptcy following the Civil War. Leland died in 1872.Obituary
/ref> Castleview eventually became the College of St. Angela, the first Catholic women’s college in New York, which was the

College of New Rochelle The College of New Rochelle (CNR) was a private Catholic college with its main campus in New Rochelle, New York, but also in Australia, England, and Germany. It was founded as the College of St. Angela by Mother Irene Gill, OSU of the Ursuline ...

until 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leland, Simeon 1812 births 1872 deaths Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York American hoteliers 19th-century American businesspeople