To control the flow of water at the base of the steep hill, a valve house was needed.

Although many in the audience felt that Mr. Murdock was too old to play the role of Hamlet, they were highly impressed with the stage sets, especially the opening scene.

He was so impressed with the painting of Elsinore Castle that that next Monday morning he appeared at the offices of Samuel Hannaford and Sons (famous local architectural firm that designed, among other structures, Music Hall and the Cincinnati City Hall) with a newspaper illustration of the Elsinore stage set.

What resulted was that Charles B. Hannaford, the son of Samuel, was commissioned to design the valve house in the form of Elsinore Castle.

However, the steps were too steep to ever become popular; and with the ever-increasing prevalence of motorized travel, the Elsinore Tower soon lost its appeal as an entrance to the Park.