Casparis Castle

Sylvio Casparis was one of the pioneer residents of Marble Cliff who immigrated from northern Italy to the United States in 1875. He moved to the Columbus area in 1890 and built his first home in Marble Cliff which later became the convent at Our Lady of Victory Church.   

Casparis founded the Casparis Stone Company in 1892, which merged with three other companies to become Marble Cliff Quarries in 1913.

Marble Cliff Quarries eventually became the largest limestone quarry in the United States and provided stone for construction of the Ohio Stadium, the Ohio Statehouse, the LeVeque Tower, and other significant structures in the area.

However the quarries were a small piece of Casparis’ vast business empire. He was a pioneer and patent holder in the development of reinforced concrete nationally and a major contractor for building both aqua and viaducts throughout the United States. His mansion in Marble Cliff was written up in concrete trade journals at the time for its innovative use of reinforced concrete. Casparis was probably most interested in being involved in the quarries for the limestone which is an ingredient of cement. His quarry property was recently developed into Columbus and Franklin County’s 20th Metro Park, Quarry Trails.

Interestingly, Casparis was often mentioned in the press and Society papers due to his prominence, however, he was carefully described as “Italian of Swiss extraction” to avoid the strong anti-Italian sentiments rampant at the time.   

In 1908 Casparis purchased 5 acres in a development called Arlington Place and contracted famous Ohio architect Frank Packard to design a Scottish-castle influenced residence. With 18-inch thick walls, the beautiful 3-story home had 11 fireplaces and a double wide staircase, and was connected to a 2-story servants' quarters. A carriage house with a 5-story tower, which can be viewed from Roxbury Road, was also built by Casparis and used by him to check on work in the quarries, which could be seen from the upper floor. The first floor of the tower was a stable. Features of the original property included a Spanish Ludowici tiled roof, 13th century Italian tile, walled courtyards and gardens, ravines and rolling lawns, some of which remain today. The 17th century Jacobean architectural styling intended to replicate a grand Scottish castle is still evident in the estate’s structures today. The reported cost of the buildings was $200,000 (an astronomical figure for the day; approximately $6.7M in 2023 dollars).

Upon Casparis’ death in 1921, the estate passed through various owners; at one time it was used for religious training by the Sisters of Notre Dame. The Casparis property was redeveloped in the late 1970s by the Pizzuti Companies and is now 10 Arlington Place (so called because the site was labeled #10 on the original 1889 plat of Arlington). Pizzuti also developed Prescott Place (another History Walks stop). The main Casparis Castle was divided into two private residences:  Manor House North and Manor House South. Manor House North was on the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society Tour of Homes in 2019.   

Note:  This stop is a private residence. Please respect the owners' privacy and observe the residence from public access points only.  

Casparis Castle and carriage house.   

Side view of the original castle. 

Sylvio Antonio Casparis (1849 - 1921).

Photo (circa 1905) of Marble Cliff Quarries workers; purportedly near the intersection of now Dublin Road and Grandview Avenue (photo from columbusrailroads.com).

1897 photo of Casparis during construction of the Waschusett (MA) Aqueduct, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Casparis provided extensive masonry construction for the aqueduct.

Hand carved figure on original fireplace mantle in Casparis Castle/Manor House North. 

Original staircase newel post in Casparis Castle/Manor House North carved to look like knight’s helmet. 

Manor House North.