Don’t let Reid Castle be wasted on co-eds
Try to find a reason to visit the campus of Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. just to visit what’s called ‘The Castle,’ and it indeed looks like one. Formally called Reid Castle, it once belonged to New York Tribune owner Whitelaw Reid, who acquired the estate, then known as Ophir Farm, in 1888 only to see the big house burn down just a few months later. Indeed, the history of the property is a bit tortured; two prior owners lost their fortunes, and the property was put up for public sale twice. Fortunately, the Reids rebuilt.
Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, then located in New York City, bought 250 acres of Ophir Farm in 1949; Manhattanville College’s new campus in Purchase was completed in 1952. Renamed Reid Hall in 1969, the castle was placed on the National Register of historic Places in 1974.
Upper levels of the castle are used by college administrators, and events—some open to the public—are held in the rooms on the first floor. The castle can also be rented for weddings, conferences, and the like.
Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, N.Y. 10577 http://www.mville.edu/
Reid Castle Events, http://reidcastleevents.com/
—Lori Tripoli
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