ENCHANTED CASTLE

I was happy to find myself with a three day weekend, as work has been very busy of late. With over forty hours in, I took Friday off, and as cold as it has gotten I found myself in Doylestown, at one of our hidden gems here. The day started out nice, but got darker as the day went on. I wanted to take some pictures and experiment with finishes, so off I went.If you happened to find yourself traveling through Europe, you probably wouldn’t be that surprised to come across an old castle. However, a castle in the countryside of Philadelphia is another story.

In Doylestown,  that’s what you’ll find. In fact, there are three castle-like structures in the town, all built by the interesting and eccentric Henry Chapman Mercer. Of the three buildings that Mercer built, none were as personal as his home, Fonthill Castle. Built between 1908 and 1910 by 10 unskilled craftsmen and one horse, Mercer’s vision was created using hand-mixed concrete and a trial-and-error method that somehow didn’t fail miserably. Mercer lived in the castle from 1910 until his death in 1930. Dying without heirs, he put his home in a trust as a museum, with the condition that his housekeeper and his assistant, Laura and Frank Swain, be allowed to stay in the home until their deaths. After Laura Swain died in 1975, the home was opened as a museum the following year.

Mercer called Fonthill a “Castle for the New World,” and walking up to the home, it’s not hard to imagine it fitting in well amongst the many castles of Europe. The home’s large size and towering concrete walls make this one of the most impressive home exteriors I’ve come across anywhere around these parts. But the impressiveness doesn’t stop outside. In fact, the interior is just as fascinating, if not more so, than the outside of the home. Unfortunately the interior wasn't open the day I went, but it is quite unique. 

Needless to say, when I got home from freezing my balls off a bowl of hot apple oatmeal was in order.

And in other news, the lovable eagle pair is back again in Florida. Harriet and M15 have made the nest ready, and she will most likely lay eggs soon. It's already been fasanating to watch both parents ready the nest, and how particular they are with nest keeping. Last year was a treat and highly addictive to watch the whole cycle. I even shed a tear when baby E9 left. To watch the cam live go here.

FLANEUR FOREVER

After being in all winter, I felt as though for a flaneur, I cleaned up quite nice. Last weekend my friend J and his boyfriend,  and the Lad were in town, and it seems the social wheel is about to start turning again. But I still have no problem being a flaneur I say. We had a standing reservation at The Golden Peasant Inn, in New Hope along the canal followed by a walking tour of the hamlet. Nothing like a get away in your own back yard. Yours truly was hired as guide again.  

While it seems spring may never fully arrive, the daffodils at my place are in full swing....

Golden Pheasant Inn is a magical country bed and breakfast inn and restaurant nestled between the Delaware River and the Pennsylvania canal in Bucks County. The Inn, built in 1857, is home to the longest continuously operating restaurant/hotel along the Delaware Canal, and is recognized on the National Registry of Historic Places. The tavern and former mule barn area of the Golden Pheasant Inn served as early commercial buildings constructed along the Delaware River and the Delaware Canal to serve mercantile traffic. An important gathering place, the tavern was the social hub for farmers, travelers, and later, canal men and vacationers. Today, the property retains its architectural integrity and continues to be used as a lodging facility—as it has for its entire history.

Our room was very well appointed but narrow, but it was still very comfy. Who am I too complain if the bed takes up the whole room!

Our one points of interest everyone seemed to want to see was not far from the Casa du Borghese...Fonthill Castle.

 Fonthill was the home of the American archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Built between 1908 and 1912, it is an early example of poured-in-place concrete and features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and 10 bathrooms. The interior was originally painted in pastel colors, but age and sunlight have all but eradicated any hint of the former hues. It contains much built-in furniture and is embellished with decorative tiles that Mercer made at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.

 

The home was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972,and was later included in a National Historic Landmark District along with the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works and the Mercer Museum. These three structures are the only poured-in-place concrete structures built by Mercer. The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works is located on the same property as Fontill, and is the location of where the beautiful tiles Mercer made,  and the Mercer Museum is located approximately one mile away. Water and pollution have caused damage to all of the structures, none more so than at Fonthill, where replacement of damaged windowsills is almost an annual event.

Some of the beautiful tiles Mercer is known for. These can be seen all around the area here.

The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works

Some of the dainty wild violets blooming....

After a long day of walking and going pub to pub we all slept rather well that night. And lets not discuss the mouthwatering brunch the next day.......

That required another work off.

The Michener Labyrinth

If one lives in this area, with Philadelphia, New Hope, and Doylestown all so close by then one can't complain they have nothing to do. While off on my last vacation I had two free days left so after the pool the one day, the Lad and I went for a light bite, then off to check out the historical sites in Doylestown, which is where I am. I have been many times, but what I really wanted to check out was the new Michener Labyrinth that was added as part of the Michener Museum. The labyrinth is an ancient pattern found in cultures around the world dating back thousands of years. Today people from all over the globe, like blog buddy Deb, walk to quite the mind, find balance, encourage meditation, gain insight and promote well-being. They are historical, cultural, and a land sculpture all in one. So after the pool the one day, we ventured over to check out this find. My first time to ever walk one too I might add.
 

And after a couple wrong turns, I made it to the center!!!!

I was very excited to walk my first labyrinth, as they aren't that common around here. I don't know if I felt more calm or not...it could also have been the libations I had earlier! And if you enjoy labyrinths you must check out Deb's blog, She Who Seeks in my blog roll. She often features many labyrinths of all magnitudes. Right behind the labyrinth is the James A Michener Museum. yes- that James A Michener, who was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories.

Opened in 1988 in Michener's hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the James A. Michener Art Museum houses collections of local and well-known artists. The museum, constructed from the remains of an old prison, is a non-profit organization, with both permanent and rotating collections. Two prominent permanent fixtures are the James A. Michener display room and the Nakashima Reading Room, constructed in honor of his third wife's Japanese heritage. The museum is known for its permanent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings and swank champagne art exhibitions.

Across this street from all this is the Mercer Museum which I have written of before. Henry Mercer personally designed plans for a museum to house his collection, six stories tall and cast of poured-in-place concrete. Mercer's museum was completed in 1916. In addition to tools, it displays furnishings of early America, carriages, stove plates, a gallows, antique fire engines, a whaleboat, and the Lenape Stone. The Spruance Library, which houses historical research materials, is located in the lovely adjoining mansion. Mercer decided to build with concrete after the Great Boston Fire of 1872 destroyed his aunt's prized collection of medieval armor, which had been stored in wooden structures. He did not want his own collections to suffer the same fate. Locals mocked his choice of building materials, but on completion of the museum, he lit a bonfire on its roof to prove that it was fireproof. Mercer's museum was an early demonstration of rebar-reinforced concrete as a structural material. You can see this castle of sorts all over town.

And what's really cool is all these sites are all on the same block. And this is just the tip of the iceberg in Doylestown sighting and seeing.

The Beauty of One Building

Over the lovely weekend, the Mistress decided to take a walk and stroll through the streets of Harrisburg, my old stomping grounds. One of the best kept jewels of the city is it's grand state capitol building. It, to date, is one of my favorite buildings to study and just to admire. Every time I'm there, and there has been a tons of times, I still always manage to see something new again. And the architecture is just so elegant, regal, and from a time long ago. I often would just walk around the grounds, or sit and read there, and I have taken the public and private tours many a time. I probably drive the Boy-Toy nuts! I think once, I might have even slept in one of the gardens when the Mistress had to much spirit one night!!! The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout. The capitol houses the chambers for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the Harrisburg chambers for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, as well as the offices of the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor.


The first, the Hills Capitol, was destroyed in 1897 by a fire and the second, the Cobb Capitol, was left unfinished when funding was discontinued in 1899.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol houses the chambers for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Pennsylvania Senate, and the Harrisburg chambers for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Capitol contains 475 rooms and has four floors, not including a mezzanine between the first and second floors, and a basement. The bronze entrance doors of the capitol lead into the rotunda on the first floor with the grand staircase in the center.

The staircase in the rotunda is an imperial staircase, similar to the one in the Paris Opera House in Paris, France.

The staircase leads to the mezzanine between the first and second floors, before splitting into two staircases leading to the second floor. Edwin Austin Abbey painted four allegorical medallions around the base of the capitol dome, detailing the "four forces of civilization": Art, Justice, Science, and Religion. Four lunette murals were also painted by Abbey and "symbolize Pennsylvania's spiritual and industrial contributions to modern civilization". The lunettes are situated in the recesses of each arch in the rotunda. The rotunda is paved with tiles, hand-crafted by Henry Chapman Mercer, from the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. Mercer produced 1,600 square feet of tile, which includes "377 mosaics, representing 254 scenes, artifacts, animals, birds, fish, insects, industries and workers from Pennsylvania history". The ornate Goddess statue lamp posts are seen throughout the building and are very special Austrian cut crystal. The way they have been cut gives the illusion of a letter "x" in the middle.


The lower house of the bicameral General Assembly, the House of Representatives, has 203 members, is the largest of the three chambers at 90 feet wide and 120 feet long. It is located on the south side of the rotunda. The House Chamber was designed with an Italian Renaissance theme. William B. Van Ingen created the fourteen circular, stained-glass windows in the House Chamber, and Abbey painted its five murals. The chandeliers that are seen only weigh in at one ton.


The Senate is the upper house of the state legislature and has 50 members. The 95-by-80-foot Senate Chamber, or Hall of the Senate, is the second-largest chamber and was designed with a French Renaissance theme. It is located on the north side of the rotunda, opposite the House. Violet Oakley painted the murals in the Senate Chamber. Ingen also made 10 stained-glass windows for the Senate Chamber. Both the House and Senate Chambers are on the second floor, each with an entrance on the third and fourth floors leading to a press gallery. The chandeliers here too weigh in at a ton.


The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the court of last resort in the Commonwealth. The Supreme Court Chamber, officially the Supreme and Superior Court Chamber, was designed using Greek and Roman themes. It is located on the fourth floor of the capitol, on the east side of the rotunda. The Supreme Court Chamber is the smallest of the three Chambers. Oakley painted the 16 murals in the "Supreme Courtroom" to depict the history of law and a stunning stained-glass dome, designed by Pennsylvania native Alfred Godwin, is in the center of the ceiling.


Every year it keeps getting voted the most beautiful State capital building in the country and it is easy to see why. The huge fountain in the addition is also a wonderful place to cool off in the heat of summer. I remember sitting there also feeling the mist from the powerful streams. And not to mention many a drag photo opt was taken their.

Till the day I die, I think this may be one of my favorite special places to see. Who knows, maybe the state will let me lie in state their!!!