Just Askin': The Kingdom of Greater Cincinnati has castles. What are they?

Erin Couch, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read

The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, not even Google.

Cincinnati isn't exactly known for its medieval architecture. We've got castles, though.

Our beloved Midwest citadels aren't exactly from the times of kings and queens, but someone put them there for a reason. Although one of our local castles is shrouded in mystery.

Question: What are Greater Cincinnati's castles?

Answer: We've got at least three.

Elsinore Arch:

Elsinore Arch sits at 1700 Gilbert Ave. at the base of Mount Adams. Built in 1883, the medieval-style castle tower is a registered historic structure and was used as a valve house to help control water from the reservoir at Eden Park.

According to Enquirer archives, it was inspired by a production of "Hamlet" during the Shakespeare festival held at Music Hall in 1883. The superintendent of Cincinnati Water Works was in the audience at the time and was reportedly so entranced by the set design for Hamlet's castle, Elsinore, he commissioned the valve house with a similar design.

It was registered as a historic landmark in 1980. WCPO-TV is located next door.

Loveland Castle:

A man with an eccentric story is behind the story of the Loveland Castle, also known as the Chateau Laroche.

Harry Delos Andrews, who served in World War I as a medic, built it "as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower," according to the Loveland Castle website.

He enlisted as a nurse in the military because he was against modern warfare, though he wasn't a pacifist. He preferred sword-to-sword, medieval-style combat, stemming from his fascination with knighthood. He contracted spinal meningitis while in the service and was declared dead in 1918, but made a comeback.

Enamored by the Chateau La Roche castle in southwest France, he moved back to Ohio and settled in Loveland. He hauled 56,000 pails of stone by hand to complete the 8,000-ton structure, according to Colgate University, his alma mater.

And being the local guy with a castle came with perks. More than 50 women proposed to him in his lifetime, reports say, but he declined them all.

Now it's a museum and headquarters to the Knights of the Golden Trail.

A former White Castle located at Winton and West North Bend roads in College Hill is now vacant and painted black.
A former White Castle located at Winton and West North Bend roads in College Hill is now vacant and painted black.

College Hill "Black Castle"

The story behind an abandoned College Hill White Castle painted black remains largely a mystery to the public.

According to Hamilton County auditor records, in July 2021, White Castle System Inc. sold the property for $490,000 to BCFG LLC, a business entity registered to an Evanston address.

The building now sits vacant. The parking lot is in need of rehab and the fast food restaurant known for its trademark white façade has been painted black.

Do you have a question for Just Askin'? Send it to us at cinlocalnews@enquirer.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kingdom of Cincinnati has castles. Here's where they are.