The famous Hearthstone Castle is familiar to any local of Danbury City. The castle which has had many names over the years is one of the 1880s buildings that still stands to date. Built by one lover as a gift to another, Hearthstone Castle only served the awardee for five years before it was abandoned and disowned.

Rise of “the castle”

Originally known as Parks’ Castle, the magnificent 16 bedroomed palatial house was built between 1895 and 1899. The building which is surrounded by 3 more supporting structures was built by Stair Sanford, portrait photographer, for his wife to serve as their honeymoon home. Five years after its completion, the Sanford family sold the Castle to a New Yorker, Victor Buck. The castle would later change hands and names until 1918 when it was again gifted to Irene Parks, daughter to Charles Parks. It was at this period that it was named Parks’ Castle but later changed to Hearthstone Castle. The inspiration for the name came from the house’s several fireplaces. Hearthstone Castle was owned by Irene till her death in the 1980s. Five years later, the house and the entire property was sold to the town of Danbury.

Abandonment and Desertion

After the death of Irene Parks In 1982, her two children Richard and Constance Jennings took ownership of the castle for four more years. They sold the property to the town of Danbury due to the high cost of maintenance in 1987. By the time the building was sold, its roofs had collapsed due to little or no maintenance. Danbury town plans to renovate the building into a fun family recreational facility that is beneficial to the community. Split decisions of what to turn the building into have halted any progress at the property to date. The first option which was to build a cultural, recreational, and historic site for tourists was put on hold when a new proposal of building a business complex came about.

Hazards and is it open to the general public to visit

Currently, the whole property is owned by the municipality of Danbury. They highly discouraged trespassing as shown by a dozen of signs all over the property. This might be because of the vandalism that comes when such a building is left to the general public to roam. The stability of Hearthstone Castle is quite amusing, unlike its counterparts’ old structures. The castle and its supporting building are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As citizens of Danbury City wait for official approval of what to do with the building, you can have a sneak look at the magnificent castle on the many sources on social media.