Carrollcliffe

Carrollcliffe
Location within New York
General information
Location400 Benedict Avenue, Tarrytown, New York
Coordinates41°04′02″N 73°50′56″W / 41.0671°N 73.8490°W / 41.0671; -73.8490
Completed1897 (1897),
1910 (1910)

Carrollcliffe (also formerly known as Castle Hotel & Spa, The Castle at Tarrytown, and Axe Castle) is a historic castle-like building located in Tarrytown, New York. Overlooking the Hudson River valley, it is about 20 miles (32 km) north of the George Washington Bridge. Its hilltop location and the height of its stone towers make it a dominant feature of the area skyline. Built in two stages, in 1897 and 1910, it was constructed to resemble a European castle.[1] In 1981, the village of Tarrytown designated the building a historic landmark.[2] It is part of Westchester County's historical Millionaires' Row.[3][4] The immediate area where Carrrollcliffe is located is locally referred to as the Tarrytown Crest.

History

Named Carrollcliffe, it was built as the residence of General Howard Carroll, with the intention that it should reflect the Norman castle architecture of Ireland,[5] where his father, Howard Carroll Sr., was originally from.[6] It is based on a design by the architect Henry Franklin Kilburn. The finished castle boasted 45 rooms[2] and crenellated towers.

Howard Carroll (1854-1916) was the son of Major General Howard Carroll of the Union army, who was killed at the Civil War Battle of Antietam.[6] After completing his education, split between schools in Albany, New York, and in Europe, Carroll Jr. became the Washington correspondent at, and a special writer for, The New York Times[7] as well as a successful playwright.[8] Having enlisted in the New York State Militia, he earned the rank of brigadier general. A well-connected individual, he was married to a daughter of John H. Starin, a former Congressman and prominent entrepreneur.[9] He was involved in Starin's businesses, becoming an owner of a paving company and an amusement park.[10] J. P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie were frequent guests at Carrollcliffe.[7] After his death in 1916, the rest of the Carroll family continued to live at Carrollcliffe until 1940.[7]

Beginning in 1941, the building served for decades as the headquarters of the financial firm Axe-Houghton Management[11] (acquired by BNY Mellon). In 1992, Swiss private banker Hanspeter Walder and his wife bought the property along with a group of investors. Their stated vision was to convert the castle into a luxury inn while rediscovering and ultimately preserving its original beauty and charm.[12] Walder was later convicted of embezzlement and misapplication of bank funds and sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for defrauding clients out of $70 million to pay for renovations and operations.[13][14]

In 2003, Elite Hotels, a limited liability company formed by C. Dean Metropoulos, purchased the property, then called The Castle at Tarrytown, for $10.9 million (according to a newspaper article at the time, which described it as "a 31-room inn on 10.1 acres").[15] It operated as a hotel[16] and spa until November 2024 and has since been vacant.[17]

The building has served as a filming location for several productions.[8] Early films include the 1917 silent film Richard the Brazen and the 1922 film The Headless Horseman, which utilized its grounds and exterior. More recently, the Beyoncé music video "Irreplaceable" (2006) and scenes for the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014) were filmed there, specifically in its Oak Room.[18]

References

  1. ^ Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Arcadia Publishing. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7524-0881-1.
  2. ^ a b "Westchester County Gives Film The Royal Treatment, Part 1". Visit Westchester NY. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  3. ^ Sexton, Julia (January 18, 2013). "Westchester's Gilded Age Estates: Eating, Drinking and Playing Like an Aristocrat". Westchester Magazine. Archived from the original on October 18, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  4. ^ Dunwell, Frances F. (2008). The Hudson: America's River [Chapter 10: Millionaires' Row]. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231509961.
  5. ^ Lisa Marie Rovito (August 14, 2006). Frommer's Great Escapes From NYC Without Wheels. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 55–. ISBN 978-0-470-04454-4.
  6. ^ a b "Irish Colonels: Howard Carroll, 105th New York Infantry". Irish in the American Civil War. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "A General's Residence in Greenburgh: The story of Carrollcliffe". Town of Greenburgh NY. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Steiner, Henry (1998). The Place Names of Historic Sleepy Hollow & Tarrytown. Heritage Books. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7884-0961-5.
  9. ^ "Lot - (NEW YORK.) Papers of New York developer and author Howard Carroll". www.swanngalleries.com. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  10. ^ "Papers of New York developer and author Howard Carroll". Swann Galleries. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  11. ^ Singer, Penny (November 8, 1987). "The View from Axe Castle: Optimistic". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  12. ^ Boros, Phyllis. "IN BUSINESS; Spend the Night in the Castle of your Dreams?". Connecticut Post.
  13. ^ Lehmann, John (January 11, 2003). "BANKER'S CASTLE CRUMBLES : GETS 8 YEARS IN $70M THEFT TO FUND LUXURY HOTEL". Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  14. ^ "70 000 Years of Hard Labor". hossli.com. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  15. ^ Brenner, Elsa (May 25, 2003). "IN BUSINESS; Going Price for Castles? In Tarrytown, $10.9 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  16. ^ Leahy, Michael (December 18, 2007). If You're Thinking of Living In . . .: All About 115 Great Neighborhoods In & Around New York. Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. pp. 351–. ISBN 978-0-307-42107-4.
  17. ^ Muchnick, Jeanne. "This Westchester historic property has closed, again". The Journal News. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  18. ^ "This Westchester historic property has closed, again". The Journal News. February 28, 2025.
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