Glen Eyrie Castle
The Glen Eyrie Castle is a beautiful piece of architectural history here in Colorado Springs. The original building was built by the founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer in 1871, along with his wife, Queen Palmer. Their new dream home sat upon their land, roughly 800 acres just north of the Garden of the Gods Park, giving the home beautiful views of the rocky formations. Almost 10 years later, Queen Palmer unfortunately suffered from a mild heart attack to which her doctors suggested she move to a lower altitude for her health. She, along with their three daughters, Elsie, Dorothy, and Marjory moved to the East Coast, and ultimately England where General Palmer would visit them as much as he possibly could. Unfortunately, Queen Palmer passed at the age of 44 in 1894. General William Palmer traveled to England to bring back his daughters and return his wife to the land she loved so much. It was then decided that the family would tear down their home and rebuild it to the iconic stone-castle-feel that Queen loved so much while she lived there. Today, the castle still stands for the people of Colorado Springs, and the world, to visit and enjoy.
The castle features 17 guest rooms, each with their own unique decorations fit to the style of when the house was originally built. There are 4 meeting rooms in the castle, along with 2 dining rooms and a whopping 24 fireplaces. There is even an intercom system integrated throughout the castle that was quite advanced for the time the house was built, along with a two chimney system that used a lever to direct the smoke depending on which direction the wind was blowing on any given day.
Today, guided tours are available twice a day (except Sundays) where you can tour for 90 minutes and take in the beauty of the castle while learning about the history of the beautiful home the founder of Colorado Springs once called home. You can choose to book a night in the castle as well as rent spaces for special events and occasions. For more information on booking an overnight stay or event, head over to the castles website at https://gleneyrie.org/.