Imagine building a house that is a mix of all your favorite styles,
what would that look like? Hi everyone ken here, welcome to
this house. Today we are exploring the eclectic mansion known as Hammond Castle.
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John Hays Hammond Junior started off with an all but normal life. His father, John Senior moved his
family from san Francisco California to South Africa to work as a mining engineer where his
mechanically inclined son first took an interest in engineering. Later on, John Senior again
relocated his family to England where John Junior was inspired by European architecture and art.
Though there was one trip that was especially impactful to john junior’s future path. When
he was only 12 years old, his father took him on a business trip to the United States. There they
would meet with Thomas Edison in his New Jersey lab. John Junior was blown away by everything he
saw and his excitement could not be contained. He began asking Edison so many questions that Edison
decided to take on the 12 year old John Junior as his mentor. It was no surprise that by the time
John Junior had reached adult hood, he had soaring recommendations to attend the finest colleges.
He studied at Yale University where he met Alexander Graham Bell, who also became his
mentor. It was around this time that John Junior began experimenting with radio control, or as we
call it today, remote control. He is credited with creating the Multi-channel Radio system,
variable pitch propeller control, radio alarm systems, and submarine
sound transmission, laying the groundwork for unmanned aerial vehicles and drones.
Over the course of his life, he filed for more than 800 patents.
His revolutionary inventions made him incredibly wealthy, and with his wealth
he revisited his childhood dream of living out an old world European fantasy. He began
collecting European art and antiques and desired to display them properly in a castle, but there
was one problem. The artifacts he had acquired were all from different European time periods.
He purchased land in the North Shore region of Massachusetts
and brought in the architectural firm of Allen and Collens to begin working on a
solution to his problem. In 1923, they presented him with a plan to
create a castle that transcended European history by morphing as it continued on
to comply with the various architectural styles appropriate for displaying period artwork.
First, they designed a research laboratory to be modern in every way,
then built a 13th century inspired tower to its side. The next section of the house was
inspired by a 13th century gothic cathedral then a 15th century French chateau. Following these
independent portions of the house, the laboratory was wrapped with cloisters and a bell tower
to create a more cohesive experience from the gardens. The result was a castle of the ages.
This eclectic combination of styles lead to a meandering stone façade boasting towers and
arcades with stained glass reminiscent of rose windows found in European cathedrals. Flying
buttresses could be found rising from the gardens to support the expansive ceilings. Connecting the
gardens, you could travel through mouse holes between the various sections of the facades
and encounter bell towers and folleys offering breathtaking views of the bay.
As we make our way through the castle, make sure to let me know what you think
of each room down below in the comments section. Entering the home, you would arrive in the great
hall with gothic arches soaring below a rose window. Here you could find a shrine housing
a 600 year old statue of budha set before 3 pointed arches in a nave. Here you could
also find one of the largest pipe organs in the world, boasting over 8,000 pipes. John Junior,
though he had designed most of the pipe organ, was unable to play the instrument,
so he invited many of the worlds greatest musicians to perform for him in the great hall.
Transitioning styles, we will now travel to the library, overflowing with books as
you open the French doors to pass through fluted columns. The windows rounded out
in the tower with stone mullions encasing wood framed windows with wrought iron bars.
The courtyard was designed to appear as a medieval village with each face
boasting a different architectural style. Housed under a glass ceiling,
tropical plants flourished around the pool. Steam vents were hidden below the water to
heat the courtyard and provide adequate humidity to the exotic plants year round.
The dining room sat in the shadows behind heavy drapes
with light reflecting from the patterned tile floor and shimmering collection of china.
In another tower, the War Room housed John Junior’s collections relating to European
wars including busts of military leaders and books telling of their conquests.
The many bedrooms were decorated in the styles of various travels
with art and textiles building setting the ambiance of an intercontinental experience.
Even a side chapel could be found in a node with gothic windows carved from stone
merging with the groin vault above a stone hearth.
John lived out the rest of his life happily in his castle along with his lover Henry
Davis Sleeper. They hosted massive parties with live music, inviting some of the worlds
top musicians to perform as their guests feasted and danced through the halls.
Upon John’s death, the pipe organ rang out one last time, echoing throughout the halls. Several
Musical artists had returned to play tributes to their to their good friend. Fortunately, the
castle was immediately sealed as a time capsule and opened to the public as a house museum which
continues to host thousands of guests every year. What did you think about this castle? Make sure
to let me know down below in the comments section. And while you’re there make sure
to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode of this house. I would also
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