By Marion Filler
The successful transformation of an old mansion into a show house is inextricably linked to the bones of the house itself. Tyvan Hill, the New Vernon country estate selected as the 2020 Mansion in May, has what it takes to be a knockout.
Even before the bells and whistles are in place, it appears likely that this 10,000-square-foot home, surrounded by 22 wooded acres a few minutes from Morristown, will be among the most livable and lovely choices of the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center, the nonprofit presenting its 19th Mansion in May fundraiser for the hospital.
BEFORE: Tyvan Hill outside, prior to 2020 Mansion in May. Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin; click / hover over icon for captions:
The credentials of Tyvan Hill are impressive, certainly because of its architecture, but no less for the people who have lived there.
The original owners, John Wesley Castles Jr. and his wife Dorothea, built the house in 1928.
Both Castles were part of the ascendant American aristocracy: Wealthy, elegant, well educated, and devoted to ideals of service to country and community.
John (1893-1955), was a graduate of Yale and Columbia Law School, and an early member of what became Smith Barney. He fought in World War I, leading a unit of the Harlem Hellfighters–a famed African American infantry regiment–in France, before joining the Tank Corps under then-Lt. Col. George S. Patton.
His detailed journal was donated to West Point, and is used today as a text for teaching diversity in the military.
John received a Purple Heart for injuries sustained when a German shell hit his tank; a comrade won the Medal of Honor for pulling him to safety under enemy gunfire, said Mansion in May historian Barry Thomson.
During World War II, John re-enlisted, serving in military intelligence in London.
BEFORE: Tyvan Hill inside, prior to 2020 Mansion in May. Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin; click / hover over icon for captions:
Dorothea Bradford Smith Castles (1899-1975) was the daughter and granddaughter of two former Governors of Vermont.
According to Thomson, who has authored two books on estates in the Somerset Hills, Dorothea was a member of the Women’s Association at what was then known as Morristown Memorial Hospital.
She was instrumental in starting a hospital gift shop called “The Corner Store” in 1949. During World War II, she organized and ran the Civilian Defense War Information Center at Pershing Square, across from Grand Central Terminal in New York.
As the war was winding down, Dorothea did three radio broadcasts for WNYC about the formation of the United Nations.
“We have her voice and will play it at various times throughout the day, so people who come here can hear the voice of the woman who built this house,” Thomson says.
In 1946, Tyvan Hill passed to Douglas Weed of Grand Union Supermarkets, and in 1958 it was sold to Donald C. McGraw, a scion of McGraw Hill Publishing who lived there with his family until 1972.
The four McGraw boys were well acquainted with the emergency room at Morristown Memorial, though not always as patients.
Josh McGraw, now a resident of Florida, volunteered as a corpsman and spent time assisting the staff with minor medical procedures. Josh has visited the house over the years and, according to Mansion in May Co-Chair Patricia O’Connor, is “so happy that the Women’s Association will be involved in restoring it to its former beauty.”
The McGraws sold the estate to Sol Levine, president of Revlon, who died in 2007. His son lived on the estate off-and-on until last spring.
Tyvan Hill was designed by Peabody, Wilson & Brown of New York. Made of natural stone, brick, and a tile-shingled roof, it took just one year to construct.
The arrows in the transom above the front door point downward to “1928” and are mirrored at the back door by “1929,” as if to confirm the achievement.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Women’s Association members make Mansion in May 2020 happen. Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin; click / hover over icon for captions:
Basically U-shaped, the home has two floors of living space, a large attic room, a pool and pool house. The view from the rear patio extends to James Street.
Considering its age, the 92-year-old mansion is in good condition. The marble floor in the dining room, curved staircases, and original molding and paneling have survived, and are waiting to be transformed by 37 designer and landscapers.
They competed for the chance to show what they can do. During a media preview earlier this month, designers and contractors were busy installing wires and modern bathroom fixtures, painting walls, and arranging new furniture.
Their fanciful creations will come down after tours end in May.
Benjamin Moore has donated paint for the entire project. Crum & Forster and the Donald C. McGraw Foundation are the two main sponsors for Mansion in May 2020.
The Women’s Association aims to raise at least $1.5 million towards the expansion of the hospital’s Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute.
Staged every few years, Mansion in May has raised $15 million for the hospital since the event began at Upton Pyne in Bernardsville in 1974, says Mansion in May spokesperson Barbara Gallo.
The most recent Mansion in May was Alnwick Hall (“The Abbey”) in Morris Township in 2017. Three years earlier, Blairsden in Peapack-Gladstone set records for visitors (30,000) and fundraising ($2 million), Gallo says.
Mansion in May 2020 runs every day in May. Tickets for self-guided tours cost $40 if purchased by April 30. In May, they cost $50. Private individual- and group tours also can be arranged. Tyvan Hill is not handicapped-accessible. Children under 12 are not permitted.
MORE ABOUT MANSION IN MAY 2020
Blasts from the Past: Mansions in May
1974 – Upton Pyne, Bernardsville
1976 – Giralda, Madison
1980 – Schiff Estate, Mendham
1981 – Hollow Hill Farm, Convent Station
1986 – Evergreens, Morristown
1988 – Warren Estate, Bernardsville
1991 – Upton Pyne, Revisited, Bernardsville
1994 – Bayley – Ellard, Madison
1997 – Vail Mansion, Morristown
1999 – Knox Hill, Morris Township
2001 – Ellerslea, Morris Township
2003 – Cross Estate, Bernardsville
2006 – Ross Family Farm, Basking Ridge
2008 – Froh Heim, Far Hills
2010 – Fawn Hill Farm, Harding Township
2012 – Glynallyn, Morristown
2014 – Blairsden, Peapack-Gladstone
2017 – Alnwick Hall-The Abbey, Morris Township
