Oheka Castle

Oheka Castle is a restored historic estate in West Hills, New York, a hamlet within the town of Huntington. It was originally completed in 1919. It sometimes referred to as the Otto Kahn estate. The estate was originally constructed by investor and banker Otto Hermann Kahn, who constructed the property in imitation of European palaces. He used Oheka Castle as a summer home and as a place to entertain royalty and foreign dignitaries. However, after his death, the banker’s family had little interest in the estate. For this reason, ownership of Oheka Castle fell to the state.

After passing through several owners, Oheka Castle was used for thirty years as a military academy. Following the closure of the military academy, the property fell into a severe state of disrepair. The estate was left vacant and was badly damaged by fires and vandals. In 1984, it was purchased by real estate developer Gary Melius, who spent $40 million restoring the property to its original appearance. Oheka Castle then began operating as a historic site, wedding venue, and hotel. The Friends of Oheka, a not-for-profit corporation formed to preserve Oheka Castle for future generations, managed the property.

Background

Otto Hermann Kahn was born on February 21, 1867, in Mannheim, Germany. He earned his first fortune as a successful banker. His work took him to London, England, then to New York City. While in New York, Kahn played an important role in reorganizing the railroad systems throughout the United States, at a time when railroads were helping expand American industry during the Industrial Revolution. Business magnates such as Kahn were able to amass enormous amounts of wealth during this period, commonly referred to as the Gilded Age.

Kahn decided to make the United States his home and gave up his British citizenship. He quickly became involved in several major American organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera Company. Kahn developed a reputation as a patron of the arts, donating significant funding to museums and building a substantial personal collection of works of art.

Kahn resided in New York City, where he conducted most of his business. However, he decided that he wanted to build a home away from the crowded city. Initially, Kahn intended to build his home in New Jersey. However, he later decided upon building an estate in Long Island, New York. This decision was influenced, in part, due to the discrimination faced by people of Jewish ancestry in northern New Jersey at the time. He purchased a large parcel of land, then hired the architectural firm Delano and Aldrich to construct his new home.

The home, which was finished in 1919, was named Oheka Castle. It was situated on an artificially constructed hill that was designed to give occupants of the home a beautiful view of the surrounding country and large estate. This made Oheka Castle the highest point on Long Island. At the time, the 109,000-square-foot, 127-room structure was the second-largest private residence ever constructed in the United States. It was situated on an impressive series of gardens modeled after French formal gardens. Kahn later added a golf course, pasture, tennis courts, stable, and many other structures and features to the grounds.

After construction on Oheka Castle was completed, Kahn continued to spend most of his time in New York City. He used the estate as his summer home, a place where both he and his family could relax in privacy. He also used Oheka Castle as a place to host lavish parties when he entertained celebrities, foreign dignitaries, and royalty. After Kahn died in 1934, ownership of the property passed out of his family.

Overview

The estate was put to a variety of uses after Kahn’s death, though it was no longer utilized as a luxury home. Oheka Castle was briefly put to use by the government, who used its facilities as a specialized retreat for New York sanitation workers and a training school for US Merchant Marine radio operators.

In 1948, Oheka Castle was purchased by the Eastern Military Academy, a large high school organized in a manner similar to a military unit. The school renovated Oheka Castle to better fit its goals as an educational institution. This meant demolishing the famous gardens, altering the room structures within the mansions, and painting over many of the walls. Eastern Military Academy operated for thirty years before going bankrupt. After the school closed, few investors showed immediate interest in purchasing the large estate. It remained vacant for five years, during which time the property fell into a state of disrepair.

Real estate developer Gary Melius purchased Oheka Castle in 1984. By that time, the dilapidated estate had no functioning plumbing or electricity. It had been stripped of all windows and doors, and had been damaged by fire and vandalism. Melius purchased Oheka Castle for just $1.5 million. He decided to restore the property to its original state. Working from photographs and drawings, Melius hired experts to recreate the property’s windows and doors, seeking to ensure that the property appeared in a manner authentic to how it was originally built. He restored Oheka Castle’s gardens, attempting to develop them according to their original plans as well. He also hired additional specialists to restore the slate roof tiles and interior walls of the estate’s mansion. The completed renovations cost Melius roughly $40 million dollars. The restored estate contained 117 rooms and fifty baths, and it consisted of roughly 115,000 square feet.

On May 7, 1987, Oheka Castle officially became a wedding venue. The lavish estate, which once again resembled a European palace, also hosted other types of large gatherings. It was later approved for use as a hotel and continued operating as a historic site and wedding venue. Unable to sustain the costs of operating Oheka Castle, Melius sold the estate in 1988 to Hideki Yokoi. He passed the property to his daughter in 1998 who was also unable to make the holding profitable. By the 2000s, ownership fell back to Melius who has remained the owner of Oheka Castle into the 2020s. Melius remains a larger-than-life public figure in New York.

Oheka Castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and earned membership in the Historic Hotels of America organization. It is managed by the Friends of Oheka, a not-for-profit corporation and public-private partnership with Melius. This all-volunteer organization was dedicated to preserving Oheka Castle for future generations.

Bibliography

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“Discover Oheka Castle, Which Was Once the Summer Home of Philanthropist Otto Hermann Khan.” Historic Hotels, 2021, www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/oheka-castle/history.php. Accessed 6 May 2021.

Fauci, Jennifer. “Oheka Castle Celebrates a Century of Rich History.” Long Island Weekly, 1 Nov. 2019, longislandweekly.com/oheka-castle-celebrates-a-century-of-rich-history. Accessed 14 May 2024.

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Oheka Castle Hotel & Estate, 2021, www.oheka.com/faq-weddings.htm. Accessed 6 May 2021.

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