Killarney (Stollmeyer’s Castle)

Killarney (Stollmeyer’s Castle) was the first of the Magnificent Seven to be built on the western side of the Queen's Park Savannah, and it was built by Charles Fourier Stollmeyer in 1904. The castle, which is supposed to be Scottish Baronial in design, stands out in Port of Spain and is rumored to be based after Scotland's Balmoral Castle. The intricate construction of Stollmeyer's Castle, built with imported brick accented with hand-hewn limestone and Italian marble and crowned with turreted features, brings a tour of the Beautiful Seven to a really magnificent finish.

The construction began in 1902 and ended in 1904. Robert Gillies of the company Taylor and Gillies, a Scotsman, designed this ornate edifice. The construction of the home, described as Scottish Baronial in architectural style, is reported to be modeled after a wing of Scotland's Balmoral Castle. Mrs. Stollmeyer considered it too extravagant for her basic tastes when it was finished, so her husband gave it to their son, Conrad, who was preparing to marry. The structure was given the name Killarney by the new Mrs. Stollmeyer, after the area in Ireland where she had wanted to spend her honeymoon.

Killarney was held by American forces during WWII and was nicknamed "The Castle" by locals. Killarney became known as Stollmeyer's Castle during this time period. Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Stollmeyer lived in Killarney until their deaths in 1965 and 1969, respectively. It was inherited by their grandson, Dr. John Stollmeyer, and occupied by his sister, Mrs. Clara Merry, until 1972. Jessy Henry A Mahabir, an insurance executive, bought Killarney that year. The structure was intended to be utilized solely for residential reasons. The government of Trinidad & Tobago bought Killarney from Mr. Mahabir in 1979. It is currently uninhabited. Citizens for Conservation worked on the restoration in the late 1990s. The Prime Minister's Office is now in charge of Killarney.

Location: Port of Spain, Trinidad