BY ROBERTA GRAFF
If you were brought up on fairy
tales as I was, then magic kingdoms
with castles, moats and
pretty maidens are some of your
earliest memories. And if you, like
every other little girl, played “make
believe,” you pretended to be a
princess and wished for a handsome
prince to whisk you away to
his palace, where you lived happily
ever after.
Today’s smart, savvy, well-educated
brides may not be the result
of fairy tales, but on their wedding
day, they still want some magic.
And few places are as magical
as Huntington’s Oheka Castle.
Located on the Gold Coast of Long
Island, it is the former home of one
of the wealthiest men in America,
Otto Kahn.
During the Gilded Age, the
period from the end of the 19th
century to the Depression, this
fabulous, 127-room mansion was
the scene of grand extravagances,
attended by Vanderbilts, Posts,
Whitneys, Guggenheims and
dozens of other rich and famous
families whose power and wealth
were unequaled.
In additions, the grounds on this
443-acre property were unparalleled.
There was an 18-hole golf
course, a club house, horse stables,
greenhouses, fountains, statuary,
gazebos, walking paths, bridal
paths, tennis courts and an indoor
lap pool, to name some of the
amenities. The Kahn mansion was
known as the finest country home
in America.
However, during the 30’s, like
many other “Gold Coast” mansions
whose owners were overwhelmed
by soaring taxes, the famed Otto
Kahn mansion was sold. It first
became a recreational center for
members of the New York City
Department of Sanitation, much to
the chagrin of Cold Springs Harbor
locals, and during the war became
a school for maritime operators. In
1948, the mansion became a boy’s
prep school until it closed in 1979.
Unfortunately, professional vandals
took over and the mansion and
grounds were overrun by arsonists
and thieves.
Enter dreamer, developer
and savvy businessman, Gary
Melius. In 1984, he purchased
Oheka Castle and the 23 acres
surrounding the estate, determined
to restore the property to
its former grandeur. Architects,
historians and researchers were
brought in for consultations and
collaboration as well. The vicissitudes
of zoning and renovation
were many, but Melius had no
intention of giving up, and today
Oheka Castle has been restored
to its former glory.
Quite simply, the place is gorgeous!
It’s been the back drop
for movies and television shows,
fantastic garden parties and special
events, including fairy tale
weddings.
You can stay at any one of the 32
individually decorated rooms, dine
in the exquisite restaurant, have a
cocktail in the original “Chaplins,”
a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, or
relax with a book in the stunning
library. It’s also possible to have an
in-room massage and work out at
the fitness center.
In addition, there are mansion
tours, which are informative and
excellent, a wedding coordinator
who will arrange the wedding of a
life-time and an event planner who
can handle just about anything.
Why not spend a night in
America’s grandest castle? Even if
you’ve been married for decades,
you’re bound to feel like the bride
and groom from a fairytale.
Oheka Castle is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
and is a member of Historic Hotels
of America.
Oheka Castle is located at 135
West Gate Drive, Huntington, NY.
For more information, call 631-659-
1400 or go to www.oheka.com.
Oheka Castle
50 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ November 2018
/www.oheka.com
