Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle

On a recent trip to Chicago, I had the opportunity to visit Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle.  The Fairy Castle is located at the Museum of Science and Industry behind a plexiglass case.  This masterpiece was the creation of Colleen Moore, a silent movie star during the Hollywood's early days.  The structure is made from aluminum and is 1:12 scale.  The tallest tower stands nine feet tall and the whole structure weighs approximately one ton. The castle measures 10'-3" X 7'-11".

The project took 7 years to build between 1928-1935.  More than 100 craftsman were hired to work on the castle which includes working water spigots and electric lights.  Colleen spared no expense and hired architects, interior designers, engineers and even scene and lighting designers from movie studios.  She spent over five hundred thousand dollars to complete the project (in the 1920's)

Each room and section of the castle are built as separate sections so that they can be unassembled and put back together.  Once the house was complete, it toured the country.  Tickets were sold to raise money for children's charities.  (see the attached video link at the end of the post)

The library measures 2'-3" X 3'-3" The small dictionary on the stand in the middle of the nautical themed library, was a gift to Colleen from her father and started her love for tiny things.  The library's shelves are filled with miniature books from famous authors of the time. The most valuable book in the library is an autograph book which contains autographs of some of the most famous people in the world including six American presidents, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, and other world leaders.  It is also signed by Frank Lloyd Wright, JP Morgan, Henry Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many more.

The chapel measures 2'-6" X 4'

Note the metal grill below and to the left on the second level.  It represents Ali Baba and his Forty Thieves treasure trove.  It is filled with make-believe treasure.

The chapel floor is made from inlaid ivory, and the chapel features real stained glass and an alter made of gold.  There is also a "bust of the pope, which is actually a seal that belonged to Pope Pius IX which Colleen won in an auction.

The Great Hall measures 3'-6" X 4'-3"

Moore inside the Great Hall.

The great hall serves as the formal entrance and also an art gallery/museum.  This floor is also made from etched ivory tiles and the walls and ceilings adorned with fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm.  The hall features a Gothic vaulted ceiling and a dramatic staircase that floats to the upper regions of the castle.  Art pieces include real ancient Egyptian statues, Greek and Syrian pieces and antique miniature Chinese vases.  There is also a painting of Mickey and Minnie Mouse - a gift from Walt Disney.

The Prince's bedroom (top) and the Drawing Room (below)  The Drawing Room features a chandelier made from Moore's own diamond and emerald jewelry and the floor is made from rose quartz tiles and borders made from jade.

The Prince's bedroom is painted Russian blue.  The furniture includes Russian motifs and Japanese chests inlaid with precious metals.  The polar bear rug features real fur and mouse teeth.

A detail of the Prince's bathroom showing the translucent alabaster tub and wall panels.

The dining room design is based on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.  The table service is gold.  The plates were a gift from her parents and the cutlery was from her brother and are engraved with Moore's monogram.  The Wine glasses are over 100 years old.  The tapestries were commissioned from a master needleworker in Vienna.

The Princess' bedroom has a mother of peal inlaid floor and the pale pink walls are adorned with scenes from Peter Pan. The Sleeping Beauty themed bed is made from gold and features bedding with a spiderweb theme - a reference to her long slumber.    The attic above contains miniature items that were donated but didn't find a place in the other parts of the castle.

The princess' bathroom is themed with a sea nymph and decorated in crystal and silver.  The stairs to the working tub contain decanters of perfume and scented oil. 

The kitchen is 2'-3" X 1'-9" and features a loft for storage.  The walls of the kitchen are adorned with images of Jack & Jill, The Lazy Grasshopper, The Three Little Pigs, and Humpty Dumpty.  There is a tiny purple glass on the table that is the sole surviving piece from Moore's first dollhouse.  The Royal Doulton dinner service that is an exact copy of the set made for Queen Mary's Dollhouse.  The table legs are painted to look like the king and queen of hearts.  The kitchen features miniature three blind mice and a copper stove reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel.

As a side note, another display in the museum featured this working vintage plastic molding machine.  The machine injects melted plastic into a two sided mold.  A blast of air removes and cools the plastic as the aluminum plates part and drop out a toy. They change the dies out to make different toys.  One of the past toys, (in green) was Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle.

I added some details to this blog from these books in my personal collection.  The white hardback book is undated, the full color book in the center contains many details and stories and was produced in 1997 and the blue pamphlet on the right is from tour of the house and was published in 1935.

Checking another item off my bucket list!

Here is a video about the restoration that took place a few years ago: