Work has stalled on overhauling the Hearthstone Castle site in Danbury.  The Planning and Public Works departments are working to develop a method to clean debris out of the structure.  The roof and internal strucutre have collapsed in the basement, which also might contain an oil tank and contaminents.  

Planning Director Sharon Calitro says they've run up against some issues with the Department of Health.  They've had to bring in specialized engineers to work through that, so the city can get permits to stabilize the walls. 

Danbury residents approved $1.6 million in 2016 for design and construction plans for a walled garden.  When that plan was announced, questions remained about how high the walls might be.  Concerns were that it would create a different attractive nuisance of people turning it into a rock-climbing wall. 

The Castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Hearthstone Castle was built in 1897 for E. Starr Sanford by New York architect Earnest George Washington Dietrich.  The land was bought in 1902 by New York financial mogul Victor Buck, who sold the castle in 1918 to Charles Darling Parks.  His oldest daughter occupied the castle until her death in 1983.  The City purchased it as part of the acquisition of the Tarrywile property in 1985.