GLYNALLEN CASTLE?

GLYNALLYN CASTLE?

I received E-Mail that said:

Here is an interesting one I have been trying to collect info on for a while. It is in New Jersey somewhere! It goes by the name "the Castle" or Glynallyn and was the center for the General Drafting Company. To my knowledge it still stands but I have no information on who owns it or if it is open for tours.

Later, I received E-Mail that said:

The REAL name (and spelling) is "Glynallen". The mansion is on Canfield Rd. in Morristown, New Jersey. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The architect was Charles I. Berg.

Later, I received E-Mail that said:

I quote from the book Images of America Series, Mansions of Morris County, "Glynallyn, a reproduction of Compton Synyates, a 16th-century English manor, was built by George Marshall Allen, president of George M. Allen Publishing Co. on Canfield Rd, Morris Twp. He spent several years studying and sketching Compton Wynyates, then sent NY architect Charles I. Berg toEngland to study the 16 different chinmeys, turrets and battlements and to collect artifactsd to incorporate in Glynallyn."

Also in the June 1993 issue of Historic Presevation News under Historic Properties, was featured Glynallyn, "Convent, NJ, 42-room, 18 fireplaces, English Manor, listed in National Register, magnificent Great Hall, 500 year old stained glass and carved oak. Glorious estate 1917-1952, prestegious corporate offices 1952-1992; 7.3 acres in fine suburban area. Close to all major transportation.

On 5-27-05, I received E-Mail that said:

Hello from England.

The model for Glynallen Castle, Compton Wynyates, is a building of the greatest beauty. It has been described as perhaps the most beautiful English house, and although I have, of course, not visited every one I can quite imagine that it is so.

Compton Wynyates is only a very short drive from my residence in Leicestershire.

The setting of Compton Wynyates, as with everything else about the house, is quite perfect. I was most fortunate and privileged to be part of a small party on a tour of the house, and it is quite breathtaking.

On 10-22-07, I received e-mail that said:

Unfortunately, I have some sad info on Glynallen Castle in Morristown, NJ. About 8 years ago the building burned down. It had recently been restored to its former grandeur. It was uninhabited but was restored by a historical association (not sure which one). My mother was present at a gardening club event there several months before the fire and said it was a beautiful place inside. Condos have since been built in it’s former location. The original carriage house still stands on Woodlawn Ave which I believe serves as an office for the condo complex. The Condos were built to vaguely resemble the former Castle.

On 3-11-08, I received E-Mail that said:

I was the first to send you something about Glynallyn Castle being the center for the General Drafting Company Asking if anyone knew any more info about this castle. I do believe that is Glynallyn, not Glenallen. The last person said it had burned down and replaced. It is still standing on Canfield Rd, in Morristown, New Jersey beautiful as ever. I believe it is privately owned but it is definitely standing.
http://www.realmorris.com/feb08/stories/homelife.html

Go down though till you find the picture on the right of the dungeon of Glynallyn and the accompanying story.

On 10-18-09, I received e-mail tgat said:

Glynallen, on Canfield Road in Morristown (really, Convent Station), New Jersey still stands. I was in the house today. I do not know where the writer who claimed it burned down in the early 2000's gets his/her info. The house does still appear to be owned or used by General Drafting Company. It is not open for tours. I was able to get inside as there was an art auction being held there today. The auction does not appear to be connected with the current ownership of the in that the property being sold had been trucked in from off-site and the house was merely be used as a venue.

Glynallen is rundown and in need of much work. But, she does survive, if in somewhat faded glory. The following link is to my flickr.com website. http://www.flickr.com/photos/37531245@N08/sets/72157622613174940/

On 10-21-09, I received e-mail that said:

FYI, from a local newsletter:

Morris Township’s Historic Heritage – Glynallen By Carol Barkin, Commission Member, Morris Township Historic Preservation Commission

One of Morris Township’s remaining Gilded Age-era mansions is “Glynallen”, built in the years 1913-1917 for George Marshall Allen and his wife, Charlotte. Allen, heir to the Old Crow Whiskey fortune and a world traveler, admired Compton Wynates in Warwickshire, England, the ancestral Tudor castle of the Marquis of Northampton (c.1528), once lived in by King Henry VIII. He hired Charles Berg, a New York architect, and sent him to study the castle and prepare working blueprints so that Allen could build a replica in Morris Township.

A NY Times article in 1914 claimed that “efforts (are being made) to reproduce as accurately as is possible the type and atmosphere of the early Tudor homestead on American soil and if the success is commensurate with the effort, Mr. Allen’s Morristown home will undoubtedly be the most perfect example of Tudor architecture, both in respect to the house and landscape, in this country.” Early fame came to Glynallen when it was used as the setting for the 1919 silent movie “Witness for the Defense”, which starred the turn-of-the-century Broadway star Elsie Ferguson. The Allen’s daughter, Loraine, was married in Glynallen’s Great Hall on August 21, 1917, and the Allen home was the site of many festive parties. Photo courtesy of Morris County Heritage Commission.

Over its 95-year history, Glynallen was a single family residence, the offices of General Drafting Company, and again a residence. Located on Canfield Road in Convent Station, the home was purchased in 1997 by Chris and Melitta Shields, who have been restoring the 32,000 sq. ft. mansion with its 66 rooms and 12 bathrooms, Great and Little Halls, landscaping, moat, stonework, and outbuildings. A particularly interesting feature is the dungeon, with its heavy oak door taken from Dannemore Prison, and heavy iron chain and shackles on the walls. Look for more of Morris Township’s historic sites and residences in future issues of the Municipal Messenger. If you have questions or comments, please e-mail Sarah Harris at sarahfh57@aol.com.

On 4-22-10, I received e-mail that said:

I worked at General Drafting in 1977 when it was General Drafting Company. I was the receptionist. My desk was just inside the large wooden doors in the front. The "cafeteria" was the dungeon...a real dungeon. It is such a beautiful building as your photos show, The stained glass windows were incredible. General Drafting was a map making company, their largest client being Exxon. They have gone out of business, but was lucky to have worked in such an wonderful castle. There is a private owner now. I live about 30 minutes away in Budd Lake, right near the Pax Amicus Theatre Castle!

On 1-6-2012, I received e-mail that said:

Glynallyn Castle will be open to the public for the month of May 2012 as a Designer Showhouse and Gardens fundraiser for Morristown Medical Center's new Inpatient Hospice and Pallative Care Unit. Mansion in May is the signature fundraiser of the Women's Association of Morristown Medical Center.

On 7-5-12, I received e-mail that said:

HI! Glynallyn is in today's Wall Street Journal in it's Greater New York Section pg A16. It can also be accessed here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304708604577504680086568146.html?mod=WSJ_NY_MIDDLELASTLEADNewsCollection

there's a short video and a small photo gallery

Still no buyers. Maybe this article will find the right person!

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