Fonthill Museum

If you could take just one photo: Fonthill Museum

When it came time for Renaissance man Henry Chapman Mercer to build his dream home in the suburbs of Philadelphia, it had to be made of concrete of course! Rising from an open field in the borough of Doylestown is Fonthill, the medieval-style castle/museum of this local eccentric. Inside, the amateur archaeologist and noted tile maker decorated his home with artifacts from his world travels, and colorful tiles from his nearby Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. A stuffed alligator, a human skull and medieval armor are just some of the other things you'll find while walking the narrow passageways of this labyrinthine castle.

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It’s got the mystery and the chill of a true European castle, but Fonthill is 100 percent American. Built between 1908 and 1912 by the eccentric Henry Chapman Mercer, the massive edifice’s six stories are packed with 44 rooms, 32 stairwells, 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and fantastic details swiped from medieval, Gothic and Byzantine architecture. Angles are irregular, walls curvy, hallways narrow, and there is a surprise to be found in each of the nooks and crannies and one-of-a-kind columns. Set in 60 acres of parkland, Fonthill was an experiment in concrete construction, and an ingenious way for Chapman—a moneyed bachelor with a fine education and a fancy for all things old—to incorporate pottery and other artifacts from his worldwide travels into every surface.

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