The Academy and Seton Castle

In 2003 the Academy established its base in New Mexico with the purchase of an historic property just outside Santa Fe. With its restoration the National Historic Landmark, Seton Castle, was to become known as the Seton Castle Center for the Advancement of Learning, and would provide a permanent learning center through which we would offer educational programs, conferences and seminars.The restoration process began with the aid of a federal matching grant from the US Department of the Interior's Save America's Treasures fund.

On the afternoon of November 15, 2005, fire consumed Seton Castle. The huge blaze destroyed all but the stone walls and chimneys. Now, only the shell of the building remains. The castle ruins will be preserved as an outdoor meeting space and meditative garden.

The Academy’s new Center, to be built near the former castle site, will include a gallery and areas devoted to storage and preservation of Seton’s art, archives and artifacts.

Overview

The Castle property now consists of 86 acres surrounding the buildings. This represents the land remaining from the 2,500 acres originally owned and developed by Ernest Thompson Seton. The house is located six miles southeast of Santa Fe, and is built among the hills comprising the southern flank of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. The Castle, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, is surrounded by juniper and pinyon – the typical high desert vegetation of northern New Mexico – and has sweeping views towards the Jemez Mountains and the Sandia Mountains above Albuquerque.
 
Seton – who had a love of grand and extraordinary houses – designed and oversaw the building of the Castle, in the early 1930s. A multi-level, flat-roofed structure with rough-hewn stone, adobe, and stucco walls, the original building was about 7,000 square feet and consisted of 30 rooms. Over the years a number of rooms have been added, detracting somewhat from the integrity of Seton’s design. The interior walls of the Castle are largely plaster, with the exterior stone visible in parts. Floors are hand-cut oak, and the ceilings are supported by vigas – the long log beams.

A large portion of Seton’s personal collection remained in the Castle and has now been archived and moved to storage. This collection includes artwork, artifacts and writings that were of great personal value to Seton, and provides insight into the extraordinary breadth of his knowledge and creativity.

Seton Castle Library 1946

Also on the property is a Kiva, built under the direction of and blessed by San Ildefonso medicine man, Juan Gonzales, and a Hogan, which was built and decorated through a unique collaboration between Seton and local Native American artists, one of whom, Jack Hokeah, went on to become one of the group of Native American artists known as the Kiowa Five.

All the buildings on the land, including the Castle itself, were integral to the activities of the Institute of Indian Lore that Seton established and directed on the property. Leaders of recreational organizations, and young people, from around the country attended the Institute until Seton’s death in 1946. Since Seton’s death the Castle and property have been open to the public for Castle tours, visits to the archives and collection, and at various times has served as a formal museum and the home of the Ernest Thompson Seton Institute, whose mission has been to further the work of Seton.