{"nrhp_refnum":"80002585","name":"Fonthill Castle and the Administration Building of the College of Mount St. Vincent","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W. 261st St. and Riverdale Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"The Bronx","state":"NY","lat":40.91382067150005,"lon":-73.90914562051836,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-07-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of two buildings on a wooded ridge above the Hudson River in the Riverdale section of the Bronx: the Administration Building of the College of Mount St. Vincent (built 1857-59 with later extensions) and Fonthill Castle, a Gothic Revival castle built in 1852.","why_significant":"The Administration Building is one of the few surviving buildings in the early Romanesque Revival style and one of the finest examples in New York City, with later extensions that harmonize with the original. Fonthill Castle is an admirable example of Gothic Revival architecture built by actor Edwin Forrest. Together they are presented as superb examples of nineteenth-century Romantic architecture.","narrative":"On a wooded ridge overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades, two nineteenth-century buildings sit on the campus of the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Administration Building began in 1857-59 as a motherhouse and academy for the Sisters of Charity, designed by Henry Engelbert in the early Romanesque Revival style. Red brick, a central six-story tower and deep verandas mark the original block, and extensions from 1865, 1883, 1906-08 and 1951 echo its materials and form. Nearby stands Fonthill Castle, a Gothic Revival cluster of octagonal fieldstone towers built in 1852 for the actor Edwin Forrest and named after Fonthill Abbey in England. Its architect is disputed. The castle has served as a chapel, museum, library and, now, the admissions office. The buildings were listed as fine examples of Romantic-era architecture and for their link to the Sisters' educational work in New York.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Administration Building: Henry Engelbert (original 1857-59; 1865 extension possibly his); E. Wenz (1906-08 addition); architect of 1883 section unknown. Fonthill Castle: architect disputed (Thomas C. Smith or Alexander Jackson Davis), built by Edwin Forrest; a footnote also credits Erik Kaeyer, a Yonkers architect.","architectural_style":"Early Romanesque Revival (Administration Building); Gothic Revival (Fonthill Castle)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Both buildings are occupied and owned by the College of Mount St. Vincent; Fonthill Castle currently houses the college admissions office and the original academy building serves as the college Administration Building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.84733-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002585.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002585/05f1f1d90b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002585/05f1f1d90b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Appletons%27_Forrest_Edwin_castle.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Appletons%27_Forrest_Edwin_castle.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316469","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonthill_Castle_and_the_Administration_Building_of_the_College_of_Mount_St._Vincent","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5465191"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/the-bronx/fonthill-castle-and-the-administration-building-of-the-college-of-mount-st-vince-80002585/"}