The Castle, also known as Fort Peace, is the former residence of wealthy agricultural supplier Ferdinand McMillan (1844–1920). It is located at 87 15th Street NW in

Midtown Atlanta Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business ...

, Georgia, next to the

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

. After McMillan's death, the building long housed facilities for Atlanta's arts community. The City designated The Castle a landmark in 1989. 1958-1960: GOLDEN HORNE ESPRESSO CAFFE AT THE CASTLE was created and operated by James Henry Lukshus who became the famous internationally known artist and fashion designer (haute couturier):

Tzaims Luksus Tzaims Luksus (born James Henry Luksus, January 1, 1932), FRSA is an American artist and fashion designer. Luksus worked as a lecturer and consultant at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Biography Luksus was born in Chicago, Illinois, United ...

. His cafe was in the Castle's carriage room at street level and he lived in the stone studio directly above it. The Golden Horne Cafe was covered, with his photo playing his

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

, in 1959 by the

Atlanta Journal ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

(newspaper). The Golden Horne at the time was not only the first espresso cafe but also the most internationally famous cafe in Atlanta. The

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

's famous soprano Leontine Price dined there whilst the Met Opera was on tour performing at the

Fox Theater (Atlanta) The Fox Theatre (often marketed as the Fabulous Fox), a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District. The theater w ...

In 1959. It was the writer

James Dickey James Lafayette Dickey (February 2, 1923 January 19, 1997) was an American poet and novelist. He was appointed the eighteenth United States Poet Laureate in 1966. He also received the Order of the South award. Dickey is best known for his no ...

's favorite place for his poetry readings. Who's who in Atlanta frequented the continental Golden Horne Cafe for a cup of espresso new to Atlanta over regular coffee though the cost was several times that of a cup of regular coffee. The Golden Horne even though medieval in decor and relaxed it was a first class gathering place for famous artists, writers, students, professors and Atlanta's high cafe society known only by word of mouth and secret with no commercial advertising and unknown by tourists. It was the place to go after a symphony concert or grand opera for a late night cup of the best coffee, tea and a slice of its famous rum cake or strawberry cheese cake and French cheese. On many days philosophy and psychology professors from Emory University would hold their class discussions at the long trestle tables and with the art institute, directly across the street, art professors often held their art history discussions and life drawing classes at the Golden Horne Espresso Cafe in the Castle. Musicians famous or not were allowed by James to perform on various instruments and sing and James was expected to play his Lute and sing Elizabethen and early French ballads several times each evening. When Leontine Price, the conductor of the Met Opera and entourage visited Leontine asked James to sing for her. James Luksus managed his Golden Horne Cafe with princely and noble dignity similar to the finest cafes in Paris. It was Atlanta's Golden Age and the Golden Horne was Atlanta's Cafe de la Paix. In August 2010 the building was sold to Mike Latham, an artist/architect from New York. As of that date Latham's plans for The Castle were unclear. In 2014 it became Atlanta's first pop up living room bar and music emporium. The Castle was put up for auction in early 2020 and in December 2020 the winning bid of $3,225,000 was placed by The Simpson Organization, Inc., an Atlanta Midtown real estate investment firm.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, Atlanta Landmarks in Atlanta City of Atlanta-designated historic sites National Register of Historic Places in Fulton County, Georgia