See Inside Oheka Citadel, the Property That Impressed ‘the Nice Gatsby’

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Up to date

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Nice Gatsby” turns 100 on Thursday.
  • I took a tour of the place that helped encourage the e book: Oheka Citadel in Lengthy Island, New York.
  • It is the second-largest personal residence within the US and is now a residence, resort, restaurant, and venue.

In the event you’ve ever learn or seen “The Nice Gatsby,” you already know Nineteen Twenties New York was residence to extravagant mansions with house owners who hosted lavish events.

A type of house owners was financier Otto Hermann Kahn, who constructed Oheka Citadel — named after its proprietor (Oh-He-Ka) — on Lengthy Island in 1919.

Kahn’s spouse used to name the house “Otto’s zoo,” and that appeared to be an correct description. A-listers of the time used to celebration on the 109,000-square-foot residence, with Kahn as a Gatsby-like determine entertaining all his company.

However Oheka’s journey did not finish there. After Kahn’s demise in 1934, the property modified palms quite a few instances till it was deserted within the ’80s. Fires, vandalism, and theft devastated it.

In accordance with Oheka Citadel, land developer Gary Melius then bought the property and spent $40 million restoring it to its former glory.

Right this moment, it is the second-largest personal residence within the US, behind solely Biltmore Home in North Carolina. It is a standard venue for weddings, a restaurant, and a resort, and has been featured in films, TV reveals, and music movies. Taylor Swift even filmed the “Clean House” video there.

You may also tour the grounds for $30.

I took the tour in April 2024 and was astonished by the great thing about Oheka Citadel. This is what it was like to go to.

Oheka Citadel was inbuilt 1919 by German-American financier Otto Hermann Kahn.

The grounds at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

He paid roughly $11 million, or over $200 million in at present’s foreign money, for 443 acres of land in West Hills, New York.


oheka castle front

The entrance of Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Oheka Citadel has been by way of rather a lot in its 100-plus years of historical past, and for anybody who desires to be taught extra, there are excursions provided twice day by day.


me at oheka

Sitting exterior of Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

So, I made a decision to go to. All I knew about Oheka was that Kevin Jonas acquired married there and Taylor Swift filmed the “Clean House” music video there.


taylor swift blank space

“Clean House.”


YouTube

However Oheka has a wealthy historical past. I realized all about it on an attractive afternoon in April 2024.


me at the gazebo at oheka

Standing by the gazebo.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

If you drive to the entryway, it is a bit intimidating. There’s somebody working the gate who should allow you to in.


front gate with tower

The entrance gate.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Then comes an extended driveway. I felt like I used to be going again in time to the Gilded Age.


the driveway at oheka

The driveway.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

My first have a look at the principle home was astounding — and sure, I imply home. Oheka Citadel is the second-largest personal residence within the US.


front door of oheka

The entrance door.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

It is also on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. It was added in September 2004.


the plaque

The Nationwide Register of Historic Locations plaque.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

When Kahn constructed this home, he had three necessities: He needed to be excessive up, he needed a view of the water, and he wanted the home to be fireproof.


staircase

An exterior staircase.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

His earlier home in New Jersey had burned down in a fireplace. Oheka, in distinction, is constructed completely out of stone.


side of oheka stone

A number of the stonework at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

I went inside and waited in entrance of a grand staircase with the remainder of my group for our tour to start.


staircase

The staircase.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

When it started, we noticed photographs of what the home regarded like earlier than it was restored by its present proprietor. We might be taught extra about this later.


the grand staircase in 1984

The grand staircase in 1984.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

The primary room we entered was this stunning entryway with a mural of the sky on the ceiling.


entryway

The entryway.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

The home itself is 109,000 sq. ft and has 127 rooms.


stairs at oheka

Extra of Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Lots of the rooms are devoted to exhibiting off the house’s historical past, just like the Chaplin Room.


chaplin room oheka

The Chaplin Room.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Charlie Chaplin was simply one of many many ’20s A-listers who frolicked at Oheka. This photograph reveals Chaplin (proper) with Kahn (middle) and actor Douglas Fairbanks (left).


douglas fairbanks, otto kahn and charlie chaplin

Fairbanks, Kahn, and Chaplin.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

In reality, in keeping with my tour information, Jay Gatsby’s wild events in “The Nice Gatsby” had been impressed by what was taking place at Oheka within the ’20s.


the great gatsby party

“The Nice Gatsby.”


Warner Bros. Photos

This was Kahn’s spouse Adelaide’s favourite room. Adelaide wasn’t as large of an entertainer as her husband, however this sunny room was good for company.


adelaide kahn's favorite room

Adelaide’s favourite room.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

This ballroom is the one room that is not unique to Kahn’s time inside Oheka at present.


grand ballroom at oheka

The ballroom.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

However as you possibly can see from the ballroom’s home windows, Oheka met Kahn’s requirement for a view of the water. He used to dock his yacht there.


view of the water

Chilly Spring Harbor within the background.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Kahn, who was Jewish, additionally constructed a golf course on his property — nation golf equipment on the time would not admit Jewish folks or permit them to play.


golf course at oheka

The golf course subsequent to Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

After Kahn’s demise in 1934, the property was shuffled between house owners. From 1948 to 1979, it was the Japanese Army Academy.


Otto Kahn in 1933.

Otto Kahn in 1933.


NY Day by day Information Archive/Getty Photographs

Throughout these days, what’s now the breakfast room was used as a health club.


breakfast room

A eating room.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

From that room, we made our solution to this large library.


library at oheka

Oheka’s library.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

A portrait of Kahn hung above the fireside.


otto kahn

Otto Hermann Kahn.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Our remaining cease on the primary flooring was this room, which additionally homes a bar. Press clippings about Oheka adorned the partitions.


news room and bar

The bar.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Among the many displayed articles was Danielle and Kevin Jonas’ wedding ceremony unfold in Folks. They acquired married on the property in 2009.


kevin and danielle's wedding

Kevin and Danielle Jonas’ wedding ceremony unfold in Folks.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Then we went upstairs to take a look at the resort and bridal suite.


hotel hallway

The hallway at Oheka’s resort.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

The bridal suite, which is on the fourth flooring, opens with this mural-covered entryway.


bridal suite entryway

The bridal suite entryway.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

A fantastic open room with home windows permits wedding ceremony events to soak up the view of Oheka’s well-manicured grounds.


bridal suite

Bridal suite.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

The gardens at Oheka are breathtaking from above.


gardens from above

The backyard from the bridal suite.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

This is the principle bed room of the bridal suite.


bedroom of bridal suite

The bed room within the bridal suite.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

The first rest room has a tub and bathe.


bridal suite bathroom

The bridal suite rest room.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Then it was time to take a look at the gardens — and to be taught what occurred to Oheka.


gardens at oheka

The gardens.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

When the Japanese Army Academy went bankrupt and vacated its premises in 1979, Oheka was left deserted.


oheka castle in 2014

Oheka Citadel in 2014.


John Paraskevas/Newsday RM/Getty Photographs

Residents who lived close by had been involved about vandalism. One neighbor even took this statue for safekeeping and returned it when Oheka was restored within the ’80s.


oheka statues

A statue at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Land developer Gary Melius bought Oheka in 1984 and spent $40 million restoring it to its former glory.


Huntington, N.Y.: Businessman Gary Melius during an interview in his office at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York on August 6, 2014.

Gary Melius at Oheka Citadel in 2014.


Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM/Getty Photographs

The gardens had been initially designed by the Olmsted Brothers, finest identified for serving to with Central Park.


gardens at oheka

The entrance yard at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Melius used these unique sketches to revive Oheka.


gazebo at oheka

The gazebo at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

These statues had been tracked down at an public sale and are thought up to now again to the Renaissance.


renaissance statues at oheka

A statue at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

Now, it is an attractive wedding ceremony venue, resort, restaurant, and residential — Melius retains an condominium on the third flooring.


oheka restaurant

The restaurant at Oheka.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

As I left the grounds, I acquired yet another have a look at the restaurant and its courtyard.


courtyard oheka

The courtyard.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider

I’d extremely advocate taking a tour of Oheka. As I seen its gorgeous environment and realized about its distinctive historical past, I felt like I used to be touring again in time.


me at the fountain

Sitting on the fountain.


Gabbi Shaw/Enterprise Insider


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