Yates Castle (also known as Renwick Castle or Longstreet's Folly) was a mansion that stood in Syracuse, New York, from 1867 to 1954.
Architecture
Designed by James Renwick Jr. and constructed from 1852 to 1854 or 1855. On 16 acres, had 24 rooms. Castellated Gothic Revival mansion.[1][2]
History
Built for Cornelius Tyler Longstreet. Sold to Alonzo Chester Yates in 1866.[2]
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (SU) got (bought?) in 1905.[1] Purchase funded by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, who had lived in the house for a time in the 1850s.[3] The estate at this time was 14 acres (5.7 ha). The Syracuse University Teachers' College was opened in the building in 1906.[4] The Syracuse University School of Journalism was hosted in the castle upon its foundation in 1934.[5] According to John Robert Greene's history of SU, Yates Castle had a reputation as a poorly ventilated and cramped building, but was also "well-known for its grand stairway".[5]
Had two acres of land by the 1950s, surrounded by hospitals.[1]
Urban legend of site on the Underground Railroad, not substantiated.[5][6]
Demolition
In 1950, SU announced plans to destroy the building and construct a medical center in its place.[7] The demolition was briefly halted in 1953 in the face of opposition from the public and National Trust for Historic Preservation.[8] Demolished the next year, a wing of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University's Weiskotten Hall.[1]
Described by Evamaria Hardin as "One of the grandest local expressions of the Romantic movement".[1]
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As of 2012, a turret that was formerly part of Yates Hall was held in storage by the SUNY medical school. Part of the estate's wall still stands outside of Weiskotten Hall.[9]
References
- Hardin 1993, p. 240.
- Doell 1986, p. 133.
- Crocker 2006, p. 189.
- Beauchamp 1908, p. 953.
- Greene 1996, p. 86.
- Hardin 1993, p. 145.
- "To Raze Yates Castle; Syracuse University to Make Way for a Medical Center". The New York Times. 1950-05-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- Louchheim, Aline B. (1953-06-28). "To Save the Houses of Our Heritage; Architectural landmarks and historic sites have been vanishing at a rapid rate. Now dedicated group are seeking to halt the process". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- Case, Dick (2012-04-24). "A piece of Yates Castle someday may be incorporated in an Upstate Medical University construction project". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
Bibliography
- Beauchamp, William Martin (1908). Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of 1908. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- Hardin, Evamaria (1993). Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to Downtown and Historic Neighborhoods. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2599-5.
- Greene, John Robert (1996). Syracuse University: Volume IV: The Tolley Years 1942-1969. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-2701-2.
- Crocker, Ruth (2006). Mrs. Russell Sage: Women's Activism and Philanthropy in Gilded Age and Progressive Era America. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-11205-7.
- Doell, M. Christine Klim (1986). Gardens of the gilded age: nineteenth-century gardens and homegrounds of New York State. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-0200-2.
External links
New York History January 1965
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv64h7jw.12?seq=8