The Castle is a monument to a period of progress and prosperity

The original photograph of the Remi Caenen ‘Castle’

When Remi Caenen built the Castle, from 1905 to 1907, it was a statement reflecting the growing wealth and technology of the new century.  Known as the Progressive Era, the first decade of the 1900s was a time of marvelous economic, technical and social advancements.  The Castle itself was a technical masterpiece with running water and a gas lighting system.

This was one of the greatest periods of economic growth in our nation’s history.  Between 1896 and 1906 the per capita GDP had risen 45% (derived from: Maddison, Angus. 2003. The World Economy: Historical Statistics. OECD Publishing, Paris). In 1900 the US had the third highest GDP per capita of any nation in the World, just slightly behind New Zealand and Australia (https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Economy/GDP-per-capita-in-1900#google_vignette). 

Few periods of human history had such impactful technological advances.  The Wright brothers had achieved the first manned flight in a powered, heavier than air craft in December of 1903.  By 1908 they had secured their first commercial contracts and began public flying demonstrations, with some flights lasting over an hour.  The automobile was becoming a core element of American society.  In 1900 there was 1 automobile for about every 10,000 people in the US.  By 1910 that had changed to 1 per 200 people.  Ford was selling the Model A, and General Motors was founded in 1908.  In 1904 the US had taken on construction of the Panama Canal; a project many still consider to be the greatest engineering feat of all time.

Arts and entertainment had begun their own transformations.  In 1905 in Pittsburgh opened the first ever theater dedicated to the presentation of ‘moving pictures’. In 1907 Picasso began his ‘cubist’ period which became a defining moment in the birth of ‘modern art’. At the Castle we now proudly feature original, hand-painted reproductions of two great art masterpieces, both of which were originally painted in 1907: ‘The Kiss’ by Klimt and ‘Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest’ by Rousseau.

Hand-painted original reproductions of ‘The Kiss’ by Klimt and ‘Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest’ by Rousseau now on display at the Castle

Teddy Roosevelt, consistently regarded as one of the greatest US presidents in history, was president through most of this period. The Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt) recognizes him as a leader of the Progressive Movement who prioritized conservation and established national parks, forests and monuments to preserve U.S. natural resources. He championed his “Square Deal” which called for fairness for all citizens, breaking bad trusts, regulating railroads, and ensuring pure food and drugs (Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 established the FDA).  In 1906 he became the first American to win a Nobel Prize. He is quoted as saying "If on this new continent we merely build another country of great but unjustly divided material prosperity, we shall have done nothing" - a sentiment which we should always hold on to as we continually seek to build and maintain a just society.