Castle Gould is a landmark building on the Sands Point Preserve, which was the original Guggenheim Estate. Initially, Howard Gould and his wife, actress Katherine Clemmons, purchased the estate property in 1900 and 1901. Castle Gould was the first of four mansions built here, designed by architect Augustus N. Allen in 1902, modeled after Ireland’s Kilkenny Castle.
Completed in 1904, this impressive 100,000-square-foot limestone building was intended to be the main residence on the estate, but, when Katherine decided that it did not suit her, Howard proceeded to build Hempstead House. Castle Gould then served as the stable, carriage house, and servants’ quarters and now houses the Visitor Center, Great Hall, and a 7,000-square-foot New York State-certified sound stage – a.k.a. The Black Box.
Sadly, Gould and Clemmons' marriage ended in a highly publicized divorce. After the divorce, Gould sold the estate in 1917 to mining tycoon Daniel Guggenheim.