Thornewood
Castle, a magnificent three-story manor home dating from the turn of the century, offers
over 27,000 square feet of living space,
graciously arranged under one tile roof. Boasting 54 rooms, including 22
bedrooms and 22 baths, this English Tudor/Gothic mansion is one of the few genuine private
castles in the United States. Thornewood Castle was built to the specifications of Mr.
Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma, in beautiful Washington State.
His fascination with the grandeur of the old English estate led him to design his dream
house. Kirtland Kelsey Cutter, one of America's most gifted architects of that era,
converted this dream into the once-in-a-lifetime estate.
Built to last the centuries, Thornewood Castle is
constructed with concrete and steel on a solid three-foot-thick
foundation. Exterior walls are brick and concrete with steel
reinforcement. The floors are ten inches of concrete. Construction
took three years to complete, from 1908 to 1911, with many of the
materials, including the brick, oak paneling, oak staircase and the
medieval stained glass coming from a castle in Europe. Three ships
were commissioned to transport these building supplies around Cape
Horn to the Pacific Northwest.
The red brick facing on the outside of the estate was imported from
Wales. A massive grand staircase and solid oak doors, both wood-pegged by old world
craftsmen, represents only a few of the interior finishes imported to the castle from a
15th century mansion in England. A priceless collection of rare artwork, hand painted onto
glass surrounded by panes of crystal, are mounted in windows throughout the
estate. Created
in the 15th to 17th centuries, they were previously owned by an English duke who spent 40
years collecting the lost art.
Click here for
historical photos of Thornewood Castle.
Click here for
more history about Chester Thorne
Click here for information about
the Native American workers
Click here
for 1909 Telephone Book with Chester Thorne Listings
Click here for Lakewood City History (Chamber of Commerce)
Click here for City of Dupont history (Just
south of Thornewood)
Click here for history of adjoining Tacoma Country &
Golf Club
