Benjamin Ames Kimball

Castle deal 'inn' the bag.
Planning board variance needed.

By Aaron Bowden.

Gilford - Construction to transform Kimball's Castle into a 40-room luxury hotel and restaurant could begin in the spring, Town Planner John Bobula said.

The final site plan for the new inn was approved Tuesday and the only hurdle that remains for the project is getting a soon-to-be-expired height variance extended.  The variance, which was already approved by the planning board once in September 1998, applies to a proposed addition tot he castle that would exceed the town's maximum building height by about five to seven feet.

The proposed addition would add more guest rooms and space for a restaurant.  Next Tuesday the developers, Historic Inns of New England, are expected to ask the planning board for an extension of the height variance - which expires this October.  If the variance extension is granted, the road would be cleared for construction, Bobula said. 

Then the town can breathe a sigh of relief.  Gilford has been responsible for the medieval-looking castle since the early 1980s, when the state Attorney General appointed the town as trustee of the 280-acre Kimball property.

The castle was built by railroad magnate Benjamin Kimball in 1894 on the north ridge of Locke's Hill.  After his death the property was passed to his wife, and then eventually to his daughter-in-law, Charlotte Kimball.  Before she passed away in 1960, Charlotte Kimball established a trust that stipulated the property be preserved for the study and enjoyment of wildlife.

When Gilford became trustee in the early 1980s, the Kimball property's future looked uncertain.  The town paid between $500 and $1,500 a year to keep the castle tidy.

"For several years, the town had to figure out what they were going to do with it," Bobula said.

About eight years ago, Gilford came up with the plan to market the property for subdivision.  First the town had to go to Belknap County Superior Court to see if they were allowed to subdivide the property.  When they found out they could, they started pursuing a buyer.  Don Leavitt and Rick Miller of Historic Inns of New England expressed an immediate interest, but it wasn't until recently that the developers could find the financial backing they needed to complete the transaction.

Last February, a deal was finally struck.  Historic Inns of New England paid $100,000 for the castle and 30 acres of nearby property.

"That might not sound like much," said Town Administrator Dave Caron, "but there was also a requirement the castle be restored - which could get expensive."

Agreeing to restore the historic character of the residence was no small concession on the part of the developers.  Vandalism and the elements have taken their toll on the old place.  Vandals made off with all the heavy cherry furniture, a suit of armor, Egyptian pedestals in black ebony, and a tapestry reputed to be the first ever made on a powered loom, according to the 1995 book Gunstock Parrish, A History of Gilford, New Hampshire.  Some of the iron work has been stolen and the trees around the castle are overgrown, obscuring the stately building's magnificent view of Lake Winnipesaukee.

The town plans to use the $100,000 Historic Inns of New England put up for the castle to offset the cost of another expensive job - maintaining the mile-and-a-half long Locke's Hill hiking trails.

Gilford is happy with the way the Kimball saga looks like it will finally play out, said Caron.

"The town recognizes the castle's historic value, and the potential that's there to enhance our heritage tourism economy," he said.  "At the same time we're also always looking to preserve our open land (like the hiking trails).  The selectmen think the current plan definitely meets those objectives."

©2004 Peter K Kimball