Sanford and his family owned the castle for only five years before selling it in 1902 to Victor Buck, a retired New York industrialist.

All the rock that was used to build the castle was quarried on site, and transported the short distance across the property on a small railroad, which was built solely for this purpose.

All the wrought iron chandeliers, lamps, and wall sconces were made in Danbury by Cephas B. Rogers Co. Irene Parks Jennings occupied the castle until her death in 1982.

The plan includes stabilization and limited renovation of the castle to provide a kitchen facility for picnics, seating areas for picnics, creation of an observation tower to take advantage of the views afforded by the site and establishment of an educational area, historical exhibits and tourist information center.

Efforts would include restoration of the historic landscape and garden design as well as expansion of the site's hiking and passive recreation facilities.

[citation needed] The second option includes the complete restoration of the castle and development of a fully functioning building with lodge areas, restaurant, museum, conference rooms, classrooms, wellness center, information desk, staff residence and gift shop.

Outbuildings, all Shingle style, include a caretaker's cottage, carriage house, pump-house, barn, woodshed and water tower, clustered on higher ground to the south of the main building.

The eminence upon which Hearthstone Castle is built is approximately 650 feet above sea level and commands panoramic views to the north and east.

The main or front section of the building features D-ended towers at the northeast corner and beyond the northernmost bay of the west elevation.

Segmentally arched openings at ground level admit light to the basement, and ventilate the area beneath the veranda.

On the east and west elevations, other windows are narrow but irregular in size, and are placed diagonally to light interior staircases.

To the west of the dining room is the library, with oak door and window surrounds and a red brick fireplace with a denticulated mantel with a diamond motif.

Facing the second floor landing is a full-length fireplace of dark green glazed brick, rimmed with studded iron bands and with bead-and-reel and egg-and-dart moldings at the ceiling.

The wooden interior structure, including the multiple floors, have collapsed, leaving the castle in complete disrepair.

Hearthstone Castle and its related Shingle-style outbuildings, which include a caretaker's cottage, carriage house, water tower, pump-house and sheds, were constructed as a summer estate between 1895 and 1899 for Elias Starr Sanford and his wife, Emma.

Following the dissolution of the firm in the early twentieth century, Sanford conducted studios in New Haven, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Greenwich and Texas.

In 1895, at the height of his success, Sanford purchased eighteen acres of woodland at "Mountain End," a rocky promontory that overlooks the southern part of the city of Danbury.

A mechanics' lien filed in the Danbury land records by Charles Crossley, a local architect and builder, cites "services rendered" between May, 1897, and June, 1899.

Mrs. Sanford is reported to have disliked the castle, The Bucks used it as a summer residence until 1923, which it was sold again to Charles Darling Parks.

The estate's grounds were left largely in their natural state, and the castle it-self is referred to in the deed from the Sanfords to the Bucks as "the Lodge.

"[7] The rough quality of the castle's fieldstone exterior and the wood-shingled walls of the outbuildings reinforce this emphasis on natural textures and on a harmonious relationship with the wooded, mountaintop site.

A medieval feeling is carried out fully in the entry hall and grand staircase, but the fireplace and paneled wall treatment are essentially Elizabethan.