[1] The original main floor features a grand foyer, meeting room, ballroom, dining hall, and sitting parlors.

[1] The Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization, originally constructed the castle and detached power plant as a retirement home for needy members of the order and their widows and children.

In 1942, during World War II, the United States Military commandeered the facility for use in conjunction with the adjacent O'Reilly General Hospital in entertaining and rehabilitating injured U.S. troops.

The facility featured a movie theater, ballroom, bowling alley, pool hall, library, and arts and crafts area.

Some of the most famous movie stars, comedians, and entertainers of the era performed in the theater while the ballroom was host to big bands playing for the dancing pleasure of the troops.