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| New
York - USA |
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Society
June - 2009 |
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6
Stars & 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Hotel & Service' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| Golden rays of spring sunshine filled my bedroom and
although it was 5 AM I was filled with excitement, energy and expectation for
another amazing Seven Stars and Stripes review. Our team would be meeting at
one of the grandest and most iconic estate mansions in the U.S. - The OHEKA
Castle. This 18th century jewel is located in Huntington, 45 minutes from New
York City on Long Island's famed Gold Coast. We arrived at the upscale
community of Cold Spring Hills and drove slowly up the gently ascending road to
the OHEKA Castle. At the guardhouse by the entrance to the Castle grounds our
credentials were checked and approved. Within minutes an electrically operated
heavy metal gate opened to grant us access to another world and era in Long
Island's History. As we drove up the beautifully maintained gravel road to the
castle we were transported back in time, to the opulent world of Otto Kahn,
financier and philanthropist of the early 1900’s. Upon entering the
cobble-stoned courtyard in our large stretch limo, white-gloved staff members
greeted us and welcomed us to the castle. |
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| Oheka
Castle - Arrival: GM Nancy Melius & Barry Kay |
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| “Arriving at Oheka Castle was like stepping back
in time to an era of grandeur and prosperity.” ~ BK |
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| The staff took our golden Rimowa luggage through
enormous wooden doors while the concierge greeted us graciously in the dramatic
and spacious entrance hall adjacent to a magnificent curved staircase. After
walking up the staircase to the first floor, we were in awe of the old world
grandeur that OHEKA conveyed. The ornate marble and granite floors, the elegant
brass and crystal chandeliers, the fine art and beautiful floral arrangements,
as well as the wooden furniture, oriental rugs and tapestries conveyed a
feeling of authenticity. OHEKA is a multi-functional facility that offers a
venue for events, weddings, movie productions and corporate retreats all within
the framework of a luxury hotel. Nancy Murton, a charming member of the Melius
family and driving force behind Oheka’s marketing and publicity, greeted
us and invited us to an informative tour of the castle's facilities and its
history. In 1914, Otto Kahn, turned his grandiose dreams into reality when he
built OHEKA Castle on 443 acres of land in Cold Spring Harbor. |
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| He hired the prestigious architectural firm of Delano
and Aldrich to make the Castle into one of the most fabulous estates in U.S.
They, in turn, took their inspiration from the beautiful classicism of the
French Chateaux of the Loire valley in France. Kahn had a limitless budget and
insisted that his estate be built on the highest point on Long Island. Upon
completion in 1919, the 127 room estate encompassed 109,000 square feet. The
Castle incorporated magnificent gardens and reflecting pools reminiscent of
"Versailles", as well as fountains, and fabulous greenhouses. The Kahn family
had four teenage children at the time of the castle's completion. To
accommodate the needs of his vibrant and active young family, the Castle
grounds also included stables, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and an 18 hole
championship golf course. |
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| After being denied
membership in a prestigious private golf club (because of his religion), Kahn
decided to hire famed course designer Seth Raynor to build a world class golf
course on the grounds of OHEKA. Upon its completion, OHEKA Castle, was more
than twice the size of the White House, and became the second largest private
residence ever built in the U.S., after George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate
in Asheville North Carolina. Otto Kahn and his wife Addie played host to heads
of state, royalty, and Hollywood stars during the "roaring 20's" in a "true
castle" constructed of the finest materials...imported marble, stone, fine
woods. |
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| Grand Staircase |
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| Their home was decorated by the foremost interior
designers of their time and filled with art treasures, tapestries, wall
coverings, and antiques from around the world. The "high life" at Oheka lasted
for fifteen years until Otto Kahn died in 1934. In the years that ensued after
his death, OHEKA changed hands many times, serving as a retreat for sanitation
workers and a government training school for the Merchant Marine radio
operators. In 1948, the Eastern Military Academy purchased OHEKA and laid waste
to the great castle. The gardens were bulldozed and turned into a parade ground
while the priceless walls were painted over with blue paint. 30 years later the
school went bankrupt and OHEKA was abandoned. The great mansion became a shell,
and a home for vandals, vagrants, and various woodland creatures. OHEKA was on
the path to demolition because of the enormous costs of maintenance, taxes and
security. |
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| Oheka
Castle - Terrace Room |
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| The residents of Cold Spring Hills realized that
OHEKA had to be saved because of its unique place in Long Island History. They
sought out and found a "White Knight" in Gary Melius, a modern day visionary
who purchased OHEKA and the surrounding property for $1.5 million in 1984.
Since that time, Gary and the Melius family have spent over $30 Million dollars
and 25 years bringing back OHEKA to its original glory. Gary called in
architects, historians and researchers to painstakingly recreate and preserve
the authenticity of OHEKA. Faux specialists were brought in to restore the
defaced walls in the library, and rubber casters were hired to restore the
beautiful plaster moldings in the ballroom and library. The formal gardens were
recreated using the original drawings to help resurrect the eight reflecting
pools and 3 fountains. Today, OHEKA is a member of the "Small Luxury Hotels of
the World" and accommodates discriminating guests who crave exclusivity and
excellence! |
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| Oheka
Castle Bath Room |
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| After our tour of the castle, its grounds, and its
spectacular kitchen facility, we took an elevator up to the second floor and
went back to our rooms to freshen up. Our room was painted a subtle and warm
golden yellow, earth tone and superbly decorated with fine art, wall coverings
and an antique rug. Our Queen size bed was covered with a luxurious white
tapestry bed spread with Egyptian cotton linens and pillowcases with a high
thread count. A large flat screen TV, and marble bathroom with glass enclosed
shower and a bathroom filled with fine upscale L'Occitane toiletries, hair
blower, and special shaving mirror, all added to the room's beauty and
charm. |
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| Oheka Castle Bath Room Detail |
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Our room's large windows
opened to a spectacular view of the gardens, pools, and fountains, as well as
the peaceful waters of the Long Island Sound. OHEKA offers its guests use of
the public rooms, library, pool table, fitness center, as well tours of the
castle and access to the spectacular grounds. An additional benefit to staying
at OHEKA is its location, minutes away from major dining and high end shopping
in Woodbury, Syosset, and Manhasset. |
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| We visited the Cold Spring Golf Club, one of Long
Island's elite golf clubs, at around 1PM that day. It is on the original
18-hole golf course built by Otto Kahn and is literally walking distance from
the hotel. Oheka and Cold Spring Country Club have just recently formalized a
partnership whereby guests staying at Oheka can now play golf and enjoy the
clubs facilities. According to Gary Melius, Oheka's owner/developer, "it's a
great marriage". |
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| Oheka
Castle - Golf |
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| To expand Oheka's appeal, Gary, a member of the Cold
Spring Club finalized a business alliance between Oheka and the private golf
club to allow tee times to hotel guests for a fee, plus cart and caddie fees.
This new addition will help broaden Oheka's appeal as a boutique resort hotel
on a year round basis. We thoroughly enjoyed a golf cart tour of the club
grounds with Jimmy Weiss, the Head Pro and an elaborate lunch buffet with hot
and cold carving stations. After lunch we toured the clubhouse facilities,
locker room and gym. The facility and it classic design and decor is an
excellent fit for the luxurious Oheka Castle. |
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| 2009
Seven Stars and Stripers® Award-Hand-Out at the Oheka Castle |
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“Congratulations to Nancy, and The Melius Family
for saving Oheka Castle
and restoring its beauty and elegance for all the
world to see!.” ~ BK |
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by Barry & Rita Kay and John Lomitola
Editor: Barry
Kay
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2009 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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