Oheka Castle- Huntington, NY

Oheka Castle is a little bit Downton and a lot Jay Gatsby. This stunning Gold Coast mansion perfectly exemplifies the type of home a wildly rich and successful investment banker of the Jazz Age would build. Once you arrive at Oheka, you are transported back to the roaring twenties, and the world is your oyster, if only for one night.

Built between 1914 and 1919 by Otto Herman Kahn, Oheka is the second largest private house in the United States, behind Vanderbilt’s Biltmore. Two entire years of the construction process consisted of building an artificial hill, making the home the highest point on Long Island, and providing a water view to its owner. The name is an acronym of the owner’s initials, and also served as the name of his yacht and Palm Beach Villa. Which of course he had, because who can stop at just one country estate?

Otto commissioned celebrated architects Delano and Aldrich to build his palatial country estate in a French Chateau style, with 127 rooms as originally configured. No house of this caliber is complete without a formal garden, and Otto would settle for nothing less than the best; as such, he commissioned the Olmstead Brothers, the landscape architect extraordinaires who designed Central Park to work their botanical magic. They would deliver him a masterpiece, centered on a formal axis, with several large water terraces and fountains.

Following Otto Kahn’s death in 1934, the estate was sold, and functioned as a retreat for New York Sanitation workers, then later as a military academy, which occupied the mansion until 1979. The home would then sit vacant and neglected for several years, because the market for those who need 127 rooms is small, even this close to New York City. In 1984 a Long Island developer with deep pockets bought the forlorn property and undertook the largest private renovation project in the U.S., which also included recreating the gardens from the original Olmsted plans. The result is a magnificent masterpiece, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.

Today, the mansion boasts 32 guest rooms, and is very popular as a wedding venue. If you’re crazy baller rich that is. Kevin Jonas was married here, as was Megyn Kelly, Joey Fatone, and Anthony Weiner, but that one didn’t turn out so well. It is also very popular with movie and video producers. If it looks familiar thank Taylor Swift- the video for Blank Space was filmed here, and is a fitting tribute. https://youtu.be/e-ORhEE9VVg

The interior is just stunning, and filled with old world charm. The library is the perfect place to sit with a cocktail and appreciate the architecture that surrounds you. Fortunately the library is only a few steps from their fabulous lounge, so this is easily accomplished.

You can also imagine you are waiting for a fabulous party to start, one that will last all night, and for which you are dressed in a beaded gown. Again, the world is your oyster. Speaking of, the restaurant there is also amazing, so even if you can’t spend the night, fire up Open Table and have a dinner to remember.

If at all possible, stay the night. We stayed in the middle of the week, on New Years day. There may have been other guests at Oheka, but if there were, we never saw them. We had the run of the house, and it was like having a mansion of our very own. There are so many exquisite spaces to explore, all so wonderfully decorated, it was like spending the night in a museum.  A fabulous museum with an insanely comfortable bed, bedding to die for, and a beautifully remodeled bathroom.

The grounds also beg to be explored, so make sure you take in the front Yew alley, the formal gardens, and the adjacent golf course. The back lawn has several intricate fountain ruins that appear to be original to the estate. All told, it is a stunning property, a unique experience, and definitely worth the price of admission.