Château des Thons, French castle in Upper Brookville, United States.
Château des Thons is a limestone and brick castle on Wolver Hollow Road near Brookville, featuring Renaissance architectural elements and decorative stonework. The structure stands on Long Island and retains the original French materials from its reconstruction.
In 1926, Ashbel H. Barney purchased half of a French castle and shipped its stones across the Atlantic. The stones were reconstructed on Long Island to create this unusual estate.
The castle shows how French building traditions crossed the ocean and took root in American soil. Walking around it, you sense a piece of European heritage that was carefully reconstructed in a different land.
This is a private residence with restricted public access, so the exterior can only be viewed from Wolver Hollow Road. The best approach is to view it from the street, where the architecture is partially visible from a distance.
Every stone and architectural panel of the original French castle was numbered and cataloged before being transported across the Atlantic on a private steamship in 1928. These detailed records allowed the building to be reconstructed with precision on Long Island.
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