Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jim Moldenhauer The Ewing Manor's history is deeply intertwined with that of its local community.

Most people have heard of Versailles, Buckingham Palace and Cinderella's Castle. But what some Bloomington-Normal residents do not know is that there is in fact a castle in the area besides Cook Hall.

The Ewing Manor, tucked away in residential Bloomington, fits many of the descriptions of a castle. Located right off Emerson Street on Sunset Road, this majestic building towers over the surrounding community, displaying a classic style of architecture not normally seen in Central Illinois.

The manor was originally a private residence specifically constructed for Davis and Hazle Ewing, a wealthy couple residing in the Bloomington area in the early 1900s. After a divorce, Hazle retained and lived at the manor until her passing in 1969. She bequeathed the house and surrounding property to the ISU Foundation following her death, where it has acted as a museum and conference center since. While the building is no longer utilized as a museum, it is still a popular meeting place for groups and the home of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.

It is believed that Hazle gave the property to ISU so that it could be enjoyed by the entire community, not just one family.

The Ewings got the inspiration for their mansion after a year long tour of Europe. After viewing the beautiful European castles and architecture style, they returned home to build a castle of their own.

"After their world tour, they got the idea that it would be wonderful to live in a castle, so they built one," Rebecca Landau, director of the Ewing Cultural Center, said.

While there were rumors that the manor was taken piece by piece from Europe and was reconstructed, that is far from the truth. The Ewings hired an architect and local builders to put their dream home together. It was styled in the Channel-Normal form, a popular type of architecture in the 1920s and '30s. Construction of the 110,000 cubic foot mansion took over a year and cost more than $178,000 in 1929 to complete.

The nearly 80-year-old manor remains well furnished for its role as a conference center. According to Landau, the building's furnishings are traditional, Old English decorations with a mix of English country and French style. The building still features several of the Ewing's artifacts. Some of these artifacts include Hazle's nesting table, piano, books, artwork, paintings and some collectibles from her travels.

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