See inside Oheka Castle, the 127-room Long Island estate that inspired ‘The Great Gatsby’

2024-05-14T15:34:59Z

I took a tour of Long Island’s Oheka Castle, an hour west of Manhattan.
It’s the second-largest private home in the US and was built in 1919.
It’s now a residence, hotel, restaurant, and events venue.

If you’ve ever read or seen “The Great Gatsby,” you know 1920s New York was home to extravagant mansions with owners who hosted lavish parties.

One of those owners was financier Otto Hermann Kahn, who built Oheka Castle — named after its owner (Oh-He-Ka) — on Long Island in 1919.

Kahn’s wife used to call the home “Otto’s zoo,” and that seemed to be an accurate description. A-listers of the time used to party at the 109,000-square-foot home, with Kahn as a Gatsby-like figure entertaining all his guests.

But Oheka’s journey didn’t end there. After Kahn’s death in 1934, the property changed hands numerous times until it was abandoned in the ’80s. Fires, vandalism, and theft devastated it.

According to Oheka Castle, land developer Gary Melius then purchased the estate and spent $40 million restoring it to its former glory.

Today, it’s the second-largest private home in the US, behind only Biltmore House in North Carolina. It’s a popular venue for weddings, a restaurant, and a hotel, and has been featured in movies, TV shows, and music videos. Taylor Swift even filmed the “Blank Space” video there.

You can also tour the grounds for $30.

I took the tour and was astonished by the beauty of Oheka Castle. Here’s what it was like to visit.

Oheka Castle was built in 1919 by German-American financier Otto Hermann Kahn.

oheka castle and grounds — The grounds at Oheka.

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The grounds at Oheka.

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He paid approximately $11 million, or over $158 million in today’s currency, for 443 acres of land in West Hills, New York.

oheka castle front — The front of Oheka.

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The front of Oheka.

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Oheka Castle has been through a lot in its 100-plus years of history, and for anyone who wants to learn more, there are tours offered twice daily.

me at oheka — Sitting outside of Oheka.

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Sitting outside of Oheka.

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So, I decided to visit. All I knew about Oheka was that Kevin Jonas got married there and Taylor Swift filmed the “Blank Space” music video there.

taylor swift blank space — “Blank Space.”

YouTube

But Oheka has a rich history. I learned all about it on a beautiful April afternoon.

me at the gazebo at oheka — Standing by the gazebo.

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Standing by the gazebo.

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When you drive to the entryway, it’s a bit intimidating. There’s someone working the gate who must let you in.

front gate with tower — The front gate.

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The front gate.

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Then comes a long driveway. I felt like I was going back in time to the Gilded Age.

the driveway at oheka — The driveway.

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The driveway.

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My first look at the main house was astounding — and yes, I mean house. Oheka Castle is the second-largest private residence in the US.

front door of oheka — The front door.

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The front door.

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It’s also on the National Register of Historic Places. It was added in September 2004.

the plaque — The National Register of Historic Places plaque.

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The National Register of Historic Places plaque.

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When Kahn built this house, he had three requirements: He wanted to be high up, he wanted a view of the water, and he needed the house to be fireproof.

An exterior staircase.

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An exterior staircase.

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His previous house in New Jersey had burned down in a fire. Oheka, in contrast, is built entirely out of stone.

side of oheka stone — Some of the stonework at Oheka.

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Some of the stonework at Oheka.

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I went inside and waited in front of a grand staircase with the rest of my group for our tour to begin.

The staircase.

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When it began, we saw photos of what the house looked like before it was restored by its current owner. We’d learn more about this later.

the grand staircase in 1984 — The grand staircase in 1984.

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The grand staircase in 1984.

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

The entryway.

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The house itself is 109,000 square feet and has 127 rooms.

stairs at oheka — More of Oheka.

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More of Oheka.

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Many of the rooms are dedicated to showing off the home’s history, like the Chaplin Room.

chaplin room oheka — The Chaplin Room.

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The Chaplin Room.

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Charlie Chaplin was just one of the many ’20s A-listers who hung out at Oheka. This photo shows Chaplin (right) with Kahn (center) and actor Douglas Fairbanks (left).

douglas fairbanks, otto kahn and charlie chaplin — Fairbanks, Kahn, and Chaplin.

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Fairbanks, Kahn, and Chaplin.

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In fact, according to my tour guide, Jay Gatsby’s wild parties in “The Great Gatsby” were inspired by what was going down at Oheka in the ’20s.

the great gatsby party — “The Great Gatsby.”

Warner Bros. Pictures

“The Great Gatsby.”

Warner Bros. Pictures

This was Kahn’s wife Adelaide’s favorite room. Adelaide wasn’t as big of an entertainer as her husband, but this sunny room was perfect for guests.

adelaide kahn's favorite room — Adelaide’s favorite room.

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Adelaide’s favorite room.

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This ballroom is the only room that’s not original to Kahn’s time inside Oheka today.

grand ballroom at oheka — The ballroom.

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The ballroom.

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

Cold Spring Harbor in the background.

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Kahn, who was Jewish, also built a golf course on his property — country clubs at the time wouldn’t admit Jewish people or allow them to play.

golf course at oheka — The golf course next to Oheka.

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The golf course next to Oheka.

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After Kahn’s death in 1934, the property was shuffled between owners. From 1948 to 1979, it was the Eastern Military Academy.

Otto Kahn in 1933.

NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Otto Kahn in 1933.

NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

During those days, what is now the breakfast room was used as a gym.

A dining room.

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From that room, we made our way to this huge library.

library at oheka — Oheka’s library.

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Oheka’s library.

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A portrait of Kahn hung above the fireplace.

otto kahn — Otto Hermann Kahn.

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Otto Hermann Kahn.

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Our final stop on the first floor was this room, which also houses a bar. Press clippings about Oheka adorned the walls.

news room and bar — The bar.

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Among the displayed articles was Danielle and Kevin Jonas’ wedding spread in People. They got married at the estate in 2009.

kevin and danielle's wedding — Kevin and Danielle Jonas’ wedding spread in People.

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Kevin and Danielle Jonas’ wedding spread in People.

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Then we went upstairs to check out the hotel and bridal suite.

hotel hallway — The hallway at Oheka’s hotel.

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The hallway at Oheka’s hotel.

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

The bridal suite entryway.

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The bridal suite entryway.

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A beautiful open room with windows allows wedding parties to take in the view of Oheka’s well-manicured grounds.

bridal suite — Bridal suite.

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Bridal suite.

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The gardens at Oheka are breathtaking from above.

gardens from above — The garden from the bridal suite.

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The garden from the bridal suite.

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Here’s the main bedroom of the bridal suite.

bedroom of bridal suite — The bedroom in the bridal suite.

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The bedroom in the bridal suite.

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The primary bathroom has a bathtub and shower.

The bridal suite bathroom.

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The bridal suite bathroom.

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Then it was time to check out the gardens — and to learn what happened to Oheka.

gardens at oheka — The gardens.

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The gardens.

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When the Eastern Military Academy went bankrupt and vacated its premises in 1979, Oheka was left abandoned.

oheka castle in 2014 — Oheka Castle in 2014.

John Paraskevas/Newsday RM/Getty Images

Oheka Castle in 2014.

John Paraskevas/Newsday RM/Getty Images

Residents who lived nearby were concerned about vandalism. One neighbor even took this statue for safekeeping and returned it when Oheka was restored in the ’80s.

oheka statues — A statue at Oheka.

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A statue at Oheka.

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Land developer Gary Melius purchased 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 Castle in 2014.

Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM/Getty Images

Gary Melius at Oheka Castle in 2014.

Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM/Getty Images

The gardens were originally designed by the Olmsted Brothers, best known for helping with Central Park.

The front yard at Oheka.

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Melius used those original sketches to restore Oheka.

gazebo at oheka — The gazebo at Oheka.

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The gazebo at Oheka.

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These statues were tracked down at an auction and are thought to date back to the Renaissance.

renaissance statues at oheka — A statue at Oheka.

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Now, it’s a beautiful wedding venue, hotel, restaurant, and home — Melius keeps an apartment on the third floor.

oheka restaurant — The restaurant at Oheka.

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The restaurant at Oheka.

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As I left the grounds, I got one more look at the restaurant and its courtyard.

courtyard oheka — The courtyard.

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The courtyard.

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This post was originally published on Insider