Another one bites the dust

On Pollepel Island in the Hudson River, is a crumbling hulk of intricate concrete and brickwork that was once Bannerman's Arsenal.

In 1900, Francis Bannerman VI bought the island to store ammunition outside New York City limits, for his military surplus business The arsenal (referred to as "Bannerman's Castle") was constructed from 1901 to 1908, and was modeled on an old Scottish castle.

A storm in 1950 sunk the ferry that served the island, and the family closed the island and the arsenal was left more or less abandoned.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation took over its administration in 1967, then on August 8th 1969 a large fire destroyed the interior of the castle. The Bannerman Castle Trust, founded in 1993, raised money for preservation of the grounds.

With the parks office, it reopened the island in 2004 for guided tours. Tourists, who arrive by boat, wear hard hats and must stay at a safe distance from the ruins.
On the night of December 26th 2009, an entire corner of the massive arsenal collapsed due to the weathering of the unprotected brickwork and aging mortar.
Stabilising the castle’s shell had been too costly, and money collected through grants and fund-raising was directed to restore the island’s residence in 2010. Dangerous river conditions had prevented a visit to the island to assess the damage.
The castle was shown in the film “North by Northwest”.

Once visible on the approach to the eastern wall of the castle were the words “Bannerman’s Island Arsenal.” Much of the right section had fallen by 1970, leaving just the letters “nal.” Now “Banner” has dropped off, leaving one complete word — “man’s”.

More photos at the Opacity site.