Section # 9 The Grey Towers Castle
Welcome to the last checkpoint of our walking tour. This is Pan, and I am the lead artist for this project. Let’s step back, and look at the Grey Towers Castle.
Even though it was built in 1893, the castle was designed to be a collage of great European architectural periods, from the Renaissance to Rococo. The castle is also rumored to have been built entirely without the use of nails. The grand hall features hundreds of balusters which were carved by one person for consistency. It took that skilled artisan seven years to complete. On the exterior, there is even a gargoyle made to look like the initial owner of the building, William Harrison. Because of its astonishing architecture, Grey Towers Castle was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
This monumental building is made up of a metal foundation, stone walls, and glass panels; it is also composed of many complex flavours and narratives. The story started with the taste of sweetness, sweetness from sugar. William Harrison ran the Franklin Sugar Refinery. While he acquired wealth from this highly profitable business, sugar has a bitter and painful taste for many. Beginning in the 16th century, millions of enslaved Africans and their descendants were forced to plant, harvest, chop, boil, then crystallize a heavy and unwieldy crop--cane--to make sugar. From the early days of slavery, the sugar industry shaped global systems of labor and capital distribution and still heavily impacts our society even now.
In 1929, Arcadia University, formally known as Beaver College, purchased Grey Towers Castle. Harrison’s private 40-room-home became classrooms and other educational facilities. Yet education, one of the most crucial pathways to opportunity, still possesses great racial inequality. Walking alongside the castle’s beautiful chiseled structure, reflect on its history rooted in the sugar trade. Think about your own backgrounds, review the history of your family's wealth, and ask yourself: Who made the castle possible? Who makes your life possible? What is your responsibility?
Today, Grey Towers Castle is a vital part of campus life. Some freshmen even live in the suite-style dorms on the third floor, experiencing the building as the Harrisons once did. Downstairs, the Rose and Mirror Rooms frequently host lectures, book reading, panel discussions, and Senior Capstone Presentations. In addition to this, it also serves as a space for annual events like the Community and Civic Engagement's Empty Bowl Dinner.
Kat is the president of the student organization, Society for Castle Restoration. She tells us that the beauty of the castle is not only in its architecture, but also in its accessibility. It is a community space, a host for events, a home for students, and a beloved landmark that serves many. With its history of oppression, the castle is a fortress, it dominates but also protects. More importantly, it has the great potential to atone as a place of comfort and unifying the community.
Even though it was built in 1893, the castle was designed to be a collage of great European architectural periods, from the Renaissance to Rococo. The castle is also rumored to have been built entirely without the use of nails. The grand hall features hundreds of balusters which were carved by one person for consistency. It took that skilled artisan seven years to complete. On the exterior, there is even a gargoyle made to look like the initial owner of the building, William Harrison. Because of its astonishing architecture, Grey Towers Castle was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
This monumental building is made up of a metal foundation, stone walls, and glass panels; it is also composed of many complex flavours and narratives. The story started with the taste of sweetness, sweetness from sugar. William Harrison ran the Franklin Sugar Refinery. While he acquired wealth from this highly profitable business, sugar has a bitter and painful taste for many. Beginning in the 16th century, millions of enslaved Africans and their descendants were forced to plant, harvest, chop, boil, then crystallize a heavy and unwieldy crop--cane--to make sugar. From the early days of slavery, the sugar industry shaped global systems of labor and capital distribution and still heavily impacts our society even now.
In 1929, Arcadia University, formally known as Beaver College, purchased Grey Towers Castle. Harrison’s private 40-room-home became classrooms and other educational facilities. Yet education, one of the most crucial pathways to opportunity, still possesses great racial inequality. Walking alongside the castle’s beautiful chiseled structure, reflect on its history rooted in the sugar trade. Think about your own backgrounds, review the history of your family's wealth, and ask yourself: Who made the castle possible? Who makes your life possible? What is your responsibility?
Today, Grey Towers Castle is a vital part of campus life. Some freshmen even live in the suite-style dorms on the third floor, experiencing the building as the Harrisons once did. Downstairs, the Rose and Mirror Rooms frequently host lectures, book reading, panel discussions, and Senior Capstone Presentations. In addition to this, it also serves as a space for annual events like the Community and Civic Engagement's Empty Bowl Dinner.
Kat is the president of the student organization, Society for Castle Restoration. She tells us that the beauty of the castle is not only in its architecture, but also in its accessibility. It is a community space, a host for events, a home for students, and a beloved landmark that serves many. With its history of oppression, the castle is a fortress, it dominates but also protects. More importantly, it has the great potential to atone as a place of comfort and unifying the community.
