The Irish Castle is celebrating its 125th year
I grew up in the neighborhood where the Givens Castle sits majestically on a hill
I lived in this old Chicago neighborhood for 20 years
and never went inside the Castle
The Castle has had several owners over the years
It is now owned by a Church
On my recent trip home
my good friend was able to get a tour inside!
I was so excited
These are some of the Pictures of the Castle
from past years
It was a family home
Givens the original owner, a Irish Gentleman
Had many lavish parties, I also found out that the dungeon of a basement once held a Grand Ballroom and beautiful dance floor
I remember the wooden structure on the side
it was a sleeping porch
The Castle was built on a hill top, as with all Castles they can survey the land and see the enemy approaching
Givens had several amazing stained glass and handpainted windows
in the Castle
The Family Crest
Most of the moldings and fireplaces
and the staircases
still remain
the passage way to the Turrets was a hole in the ceiling
and my very serious tour guide
did not seem willing to give me a boost up into the ceiling
and just looked at me funny when I told him that is where the
Dragons lived
but the original rooms have been taken out
to open the space into a large room for the Church
at the top of the stairs a narrow hallway that leads to bedrooms
is now used for storage
the caretaker lives in a 3rd floor apartment
As excited as I was to see the inside of the Castle it was kind of a let down
I prefer my stories of the Irish Castle
As I came in the front door, I would be greeted by an Amour Knight in Pink Metal
Castle Kids would be playing with cats and dogs
and the Purple Princess Dragon
would be licking the faces of the smiling children
and offering rides on her great winged back
and the Beautiful Court Ladies
would promenade through the Velvet Halls
My visit to the Irish Castle will always be special
but I still love all the stories and legends
that I made up about the Castle
Also while in Chicago, I found some pictures of my Dollhouse
from the early 50's
I still have most of the original furniture for the house
and after all my stressing over painting and renovating the house
I feel I have done her proud
my paint job looks almost the same
That is what I love about going home, you always find or see great things
that leave you with a feeling
of happiness!
