Gillette’s Castle, Connecticut

Gillette’s Castle is one of the more unusual private residences in the nation. It was built between 1914 and 1919 by William Gillette, an actor best known for playing Sherlock Holmes on the stage. He was involved in all aspects of its design and it has a unique, hand-carved, rough-hewn texture throughout, evoking a fairytale hybrid of arts and crafts, middle age castle, gothic church, and stage set. He lived there until 1937, and it was taken over by the state in 1943, which turned it into a park. In 2002 it reopened after a four year $11 million renovation.