Visible from Route 9d in Garrison, NY this spectacular building is perched 620 feet above the Hudson. When passing with visiting friends, I’ve commented that this will be my next house.

Actually, it’s Castle Rock, the former home of William Osborn. According to the Huffington Post:

Built in 1881, Castle Rock was the estate of Illinois Central Railroad president William Osborn, who also owned hundreds of acres of land surrounding property. Since Osborn’s death in 1894, Castle Rock has passed down through numerous Osborn generations and is still privately owned by the family. Rumors abound that the castle was writer Frank Baum’s inspiration for the castle in the Wizard of Oz (Castle OSborn?).

Castle Rock was deemed a National Landmark in 1977. Most of the surrounding woodland was donated to the State Parks Council and is now open to the public.

The author of the Huffington Post article was allowed, by the owners, to visit the property and the article provides a number of interesting pictures. The views from the house are particularly striking.

I’ve always been attracted to the building and seeing it here with the trees in all their fall glory all the more so.