Magic castle with an unusual name for many years, is situated on the Northern shore of long island in the town of Huntington. Magnificent estate was once the country residence of financier and philanthropist Otto Hermann Kahn. The name «Oheka» is an acronym from the name of the owner, which Kahn also used as the name of his boat (Oheka II) and villas on the ocean in Florida (Villa Oheka).
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The history of the castle of Oheka began nearly a century ago. The construction substantial private ownership, Otto Kahn spared no expense – only for the construction of the needed $ 11 million (158 million in today’s dollars). At the time of its construction the castle in the French style was and remains today the second largest private residence in America: on the area of more than 10,100 square meters, there are 127 rooms. Khan used the estate as a summer home, where he threw lavish parties, where frequent guests were the members of Royal families, prominent politicians and Hollywood stars.
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After Otto Kahn died in 1934, the estate changed several times owners. At first it was used as recreation for the workers of sanitary-hygienic service of new York, then the government training school for Merchant Marine radio operators. In 1948, Eastern military Academy bought the estate, leveled the gardens, shared a room and painted the walls. 30 years later, the school went bankrupt, and the castle of Oheka was abandoned. His only visitors were vandals, who for 5 years held numerous fires.
In 1984 the castle and 23 acres of adjoining territory was purchased by the developer Gary Melius, who began the painstaking work to restore the castle to its original grandeur.
In order to preserve the authenticity of the estate, Melius invited architects, historians and researchers to those working in a team, has managed to recreate even the smallest details. Slate roof tiles used for the restoration of the roof, were bought in the same Vermont quarry where Kahn acquired the material for the original roof. More than 222 Windows and doors were replaced with duplicates made to order. To manually repair wrought iron railings on the main staircase took two months. Experts in the technique of Faux Bois has been brought in to rebuild the walls in the library, and the master of the plaster business were invited to recreate the magnificent plasterwork in the ballroom. The classic garden was to recreate the original sketches of the brothers Olmsted, returning to life, eight reflecting pools and three fountains.
Today, after extensive restoration at a cost of 30 million dollars, the castle serves as a historic hotel with 32 rooms and suites. The place is a popular location for weddings, special events and photo shoots. The castle is also listed on the national register of historic places and the list of Historic hotels of America.
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