To spot the Villa Kathrine, look ahead for a square, sand-colored building with a whimsical green-and-white striped turret and taller white domes rising up from a hilltop, framed by trees and overlooking the Mississippi River.
If you feel like you’ve just walked straight into a storybook-or maybe even Morocco-you’re not imagining things! The Villa Kathrine is unlike anything else in Quincy, thanks to W. George Metz, who wanted his home to echo the exotic architecture he adored on his world travels. Built in 1900 and perched dramatically on the bluffs, this golden castle with its turret and harem was truly the talk of the town…when Metz wasn’t traveling the globe, of course! Inside, there’s a courtyard and a reflecting pool, inspired directly by his own sketches of Mediterranean wonders. Now, there’s a local legend that there’s treasure buried here, but don’t look too hard-just imagine mysterious tales swirling through these arches. It’s even said a ghostly dog has made itself quite at home over the years. After falling into disrepair for decades, the Villa Kathrine finally got a modern facelift in the 1970s, thanks to some passionate locals who saw its magic. Today, it’s Quincy’s tourist information hub-and if you’re a movie buff, it also starred in a film called Fang (though, rumor has it, the movie’s still hiding in the castle’s own treasure vault!). Welcome to your first taste of Quincy’s surprises!
