Fonthill Castle was built in 1852 as the country estate of Shakespearean actor Edwin Forrest and his wife, the actress Catherine Norton Sinclair.

[5] Fonthill is a Gothic Revival style building consisting of a cluster of six octagonal towers at varying heights, built of hammered grey stone.

A sketch of Fonthill's octagons among the papers of Alexander Jackson Davis suggests that he had some part in its design,[2] although it has also been attributed to Thomas C.

The initial structure of the administration building was designed built by Henry Engelbert, an architect active in NYC from 1852–1879.

[6] At the base of the tower, a double stairway rises from a porte cochere to the level of the veranda, leading to the entrance.