Archer Huntington, the son of the transportation magnate
Collis P. Huntington,
and wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, noted sculptress built Atalaya
Castle during 1931-1933.
Mr. Huntington
was a noted authority on Spanish history. He designed the home from memory
after the Moorish architecture of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast.
Atalaya is a Spanish term for watchtower.
The outer walls of the building form a square, 200 feet on each side,
with the
front facing the ocean. Within the walled structure there is a
large,
open inner court with a
small entry court at he rear.
The large one story building is dominated by a
square tower
that rises nearly 40 feet from a covered walkway that bisects
the inner court.
It is functional in design, having contained a 3,000 gallon
water tank made of cypress.
Water drawn from an artesian well was pumped into
a 10,000 gallon concrete cistern where the sand settled out.
From there it was
pumped into the tower tank. The height of this tank gave the water
enough pressure to flow through the house.
The living quarters consist of 30 rooms around three
sides of the perimeter.
Living
facilities including the dining room, sunroom,
library and bedrooms occupied the front portion of the house.
The covered walkway of open brickwork is lined with archways
and planters on both sides.
The
southern wing housed Mr. Huntington's spacious study
and opened onto a small enclosed courtyard where Mrs. Huntington
worked on her sculptures.
She enjoyed sculpting live animals, therefore, facilities
such as horse stables, a dog kennel and a bear pen
were included in the construction.
Heating was done entirely by coal room heaters and wood fireplaces.
Ramps lead from the courtyards up to each entry door,
and wood was hauled in by small carts.
Specially designed grillwork of
handwrought iron and shutters
were installed on each window to protect against
hurricane winds.
Driveway | Kitchen Shelf | Music Room | Parlor | The Roof | Summer Home | Winter Home | Library