
Created between the 15th and 17th centuries, they were previously owned by an English duke who spent 40 years collecting the shards and panels of lost art. There is something to behold around every corner at Thornewood.Ī priceless collection of rare artwork, hand painted onto glass and surrounded by panes of crystal, are mounted in windows throughout the estate. The Castle offers over 27,000 square feet of living space, graciously arranged under one tile roof, and boasts 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 baths. The red brick facing on the outside of the estate was imported from Wales. Three ships were commissioned to transport these building supplies around Cape Horn to the Pacific Northwest. Construction took three years to complete, from 1908 to 1911, with many of the materials, including the front door, oak paneling, and oak staircase, coming from the castle in England. Exterior walls are brick and concrete with steel reinforcement. Thornewood Castle is constructed with concrete and steel on a solid three-foot-thick foundation. Renowned architect Kirtland Kelsey Cutter was in charge of this most interesting Tudor Gothic project. Thorne purchased a 400-year-old Elizabethan manor in England and had parts of it dismantled and shipped piece by piece to be included in the main house. The creation of Thornewood was truly a labor of love.


Chester, having been a successful financier and one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma, spared no expense when it came to the planning and construction of this unique country estate for his family. Thornewood Castle was built to the specifications of Mr.
