The labour of love

My parents raised me to respect a solid work ethic and to appreciate the fruits of honest labour. As an adult, I realized the downside of all that is a tendency to confuse who we are with what we do. A visit to Boldt Castle years ago drove the point home for me.

Hart Island history

George Boldt arrived in the United States in 1864, a penniless adolescent from Prussia. He worked as kitchen help in New York hotels and restaurants. With ambition, initiative and ingenuity, he epitomized the “American dream.” By age 30, he had acquired two hotels in Philadelphia, as well as becoming the proprietor of New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria. (And if you like Thousand Island salad dressing, you can thank George Boldt.)

He married Louise Kehrer, the daughter of another powerful hotelier. Louise also brought innovative ideas to the hospitality industry and together the couple became wildly successful and enormously wealthy. In 1900, Boldt purchased Hart Island, part of Alexandria, N.Y. on the St. Lawrence River. He planned to build a massive castle in the Rhineland style he remembered from his youth. He reshaped sections of the shoreline to make the island more heart-shaped, renamed it Heart Island and hired a crew of 300 skilled workers – including stone masons, carpenters and artisans. Pink granite was brought in from a nearby island.

In addition to the 120-room, six story castle, which included an indoor pool, there were tunnels, magnificent Italian gardens, a power house, drawbridge, Alster Tower and a 35,000 square foot boathouse close by on Wellesley Island. No expense was spared. George intended to present it as a grand gesture of his love for Louise on her birthday, February 14, 1904. The Valentine’s theme runs throughout the castle, with hearts ubiquitously worked into walls and woodwork.

Tragedy strikes

But five weeks before the big day, tragedy struck. Louise died suddenly at the age of 41. George sent a telegram to the foreman at Boldt Castle: “Stop all construction at once.” Legend has it that the workmen laid down their tools and left the island that very day. George Boldt never returned. His castle stood largely neglected and not quite finished for more than 70 years.

The Thousand Island Bridge Authority purchased the property in 1977 for one dollar and a promise that all revenue from visitors would be spent on restoration and upkeep. To date, they have invested $50 million into it.

Our visit

Work was nowhere near complete when we visited. I recall standing at the top of a grand staircase, surveying the broken dream with a mixture of wonder and sadness. Who was George Boldt really, in his heart? Other than his business acumen, there’s not a lot known about him. Was he kind? Compassionate? A loving father? A devoted friend? A person of substance, principle, integrity? Did he value what money couldn’t buy? What did he learn from his grand plans and the heartbreaking loss of Louise? How did he cope?

And most importantly – was his heart right with God? Did he recognize that labour of love above all others, perfectly fulfilled by the one whose plans never fail, who never confuses who we are with what we’ve done? If so, he’s currently living in a mansion of glory that makes Boldt Castle look like a Lego project.