ALLIANCE, Ohio — It's a 28,000-square-foot crown jewel in Northeast Ohio that is regarded as one of the area's best-kept secrets outside of Alliance.
Built 120 years ago, Glamorgan Castle is rich in history. Still, there were some questions about how its future would look after major flooding damaged the mansion, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
However, the Alliance City School District, which owns the castle, is planning to transform the basement into a conference center for businesses and organizations.
In addition, a non-profit group called Castle Crusaders is exploring ways to restore other parts of the iconic structure while keeping the castle's integrity.
When entering the rotunda of the castle, guests are immediately greeted with a glistening 6-foot-tall chandelier.
"It has 4,426 crystals and 150 light bulbs," said Connie Fussell, who is the director of activities for the castle.
Also in the rotunda are eye-catching marble statues along with a marble table that was purchased more than a century ago by Col. William H. Morgan, the president of Morgan Engineering Company.
"The table was bought when he went to the World's Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904," Fussell said.
There are many other examples of ornate beauty throughout the castle, including Brazilian mahogany wood in the drawing room and hand-carved oak in the dining room, where dozens of small lions— made through plaster mold casting— look down from the intricate ceiling.
Fussell, who grew up across the street from the castle, feels it's an extremely special place.
"Because when I was little and I used to come up here and play, this was kind of like sanctuary. When you have a castle right across the street from where you live, come on, I'm a girl!" she said.
The castle was built by the Morgan family, who resided there until the late 1930s.
It changed ownership several times. For decades, it served as the administrative office for the Alliance School District until a pipe burst on the third floor, resulting in flooding in two other lower floors in 2022.
"It had pretty much flooded a lot of the office spaces that we used, so we has to kind of quickly relocate," said Nick Cowles, the director of operations for the district.
Cowles revealed new plans to transform the basement— where there used to be a bowling alley and a swimming pool— into a conference center for businesses and organizations.
"We really want it to look inviting and be a higher-end meeting space," Cowles said.
The estimated cost for the remodel is up to $300,000. It's possible some school district money could be used for the improvements, but leaders are hoping to use mostly grants and donations and start construction within six months.
The Castle Crusaders are also working on plans to secure funding and restore other parts of the castle, including the badly damaged ceiling in the solarium, as well as the former bedroom and the kitchen areas that were hit hard by the flooding.
"We just want to make it as original as possible, just to bring it back to the way it was," Fussell said.
Glamorgan Castle is open for guided tours on Fridays at 1 and 2 p.m. Self-guided tours are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Guests can also book guided tours for groups of 10 or more.
