C. Walter Nichols

Charles Walter "Walt" Nichols (June 19, 1875 – April 26, 1963), was an American industrialist who, with his father, William H. Nichols, helped organize the merger of 12 companies in 1899 to create General Chemical, which in 1921 joined four other companies to form Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation, a precursor to AlliedSignal, now owned by Honeywell as its specialty materials business.

At the age of almost sixty, he founded the Nichols Engineering and Research Company, which became a world leader in incinerator and waste system technology.

In the 1920s, Nichols set out to build his country estate, preferring the Norman style of architecture from the south of England and the north of France.

The grounds of the Chateau property were designed by renowned 20th Century landscape architect Ethelbert E. Furlong of nearby Glen Ridge, New Jersey, whose work is catalogued in the Smithsonian Institution's American Gardens collection.

The land surrounding the Chateau was transformed from ordinary woodlands to rolling pastoral terrain and an intricate complex of formal gardens, only some of which has been maintained.

In 1995, the Knowles family of fifth generation restaurateurs, acquired the property to continue its operation as a retreat, adding a special occasion facility for conferences and weddings.