America doesn\u2019t have royalty\u2014unless you count Taylor Swift or Beyonc\u00e9 as queens of music\u2014but that doesn\u2019t stop castles from popping up all over the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s a Harry Potter- inspired castle that replicates Hogwarts outside of Nashville, a fairy tale castle in Las Vegas that mimics a 17th-century Scottish castle, or a waterfront dream home in Fort Worth, Texas, built to honor an ancestral property, palatial turreted properties are having a moment.<\/p>\n
The price tags for these castles require a royal-size budget\u2014most start close to $5 million and some go up to $35 million. Still, there\u2019s something about those turrets and fortresslike residences that tempt buyers like the apple lured Snow White.<\/p>\n
MORE: <\/strong>\u2018Suite\u2019 Closets: Five Homes With Extravagant Wardrobes<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI always wanted a castle, and I have everything else, so why not buy one,\u201d says Hugh Cassar, 89, founder of Kretek International, a cigar- and tobacco-import company. \u201cI always want something no one else has.\u201d<\/p>\n Cassar purchased Chateau Plaisance in Lake Sherwood Country Club, which is part of the Westlake Village area in Thousand Oaks, California, from his friends, the original owners, in 2022.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born in Malta and have traveled everywhere, and every time I went to a castle I would think \u2018I would love to have something like this,\u2019 \u201d he says.<\/p>\n While castles in other parts of the world are often associated with royalty or are part of a multigenerational family legacy, owners of castles in the U.S. are more likely to be making a statement about their individuality. Like Cassar, they want something unique that will serve as a landmark for their family members, friends, and their community.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cassars are known as the biggest donors to a variety of causes in the Conejo Valley,\u201d says Sher Toor, a real estate agent with Compass in Westlake Village, California. \u201cThis castle has been the setting for fundraisers and board meetings for all kinds of organizations and causes related to alleviating poverty, supporting transitional housing, and other local and national causes.\u201d<\/p>\n Castles can be traditional or modern, but consistent elements include distinctive architectural details, especially a turret or two.<\/p>\n OLD WORLD CHARM IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA<\/p>\n Ed and Lynn Hogan, founders of Pleasant Holidays travel company, were inspired by their love of European architecture, particularly in France\u2019s Loire Valley, to build their own castle in Southern California. Named Chateau Plaisance (the French translation of \u201cPleasant Castle\u201d), the castle sits on 3 acres across five lots within the gated community of Sherwood Country Club. More than 15,000 acres of protected green space surround the castle grounds, which have views of a golf course and the Santa Monica Mountains. The 14,000-square-foot castle is listed for $34.9 million.<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I were friends with the Hogans, so when they were ready to sell it, we took advantage,\u201d Cassar says. \u201cIt\u2019s three levels of French beauty, and it would be impossible to build something like this now.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only would the materials be difficult to acquire from overseas, but it would also be nearly impossible to find the artisans to build it, Cassar says.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a fairy-tale-inspired place. The Hogans carefully researched French architecture when they built this,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The grounds include cobblestone walkways, hand-carved statuary, thousands of rose bushes, a reflecting pool with bronze horses, an infinity pool, and a gazebo overlooking a koi pond. The property also has a guest house, a carriage house, and a pool house.<\/p>\n Inside, the six-bedroom, 11-bathroom house features a rotunda entrance with a Baccarat crystal chandelier, hand-painted murals, and a marble staircase.<\/p>\n \u201cThe grand salon and ballroom have 22-foot-high ceilings with hand-painted murals,\u201d Toor says. \u201cThe original owners flew artists to California and lodged them for six months to paint the murals.\u201d<\/p>\n From Mansion Global Boutique: <\/strong>Earn Your Stripes: Liven Up Your Space With Striking Line Patterns<\/a><\/p>\n Chateau Plaisance also has a \u201cHall of Mirrors,\u201d reminiscent of Versailles, that leads to the dining room, and a hidden door in the library that leads to a space with a full bar.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a speakeasy, but it also serves as a security room,\u201d Toor says.<\/p>\n The property, which is fully enclosed with two guarded gates, sits within the highly secure Sherwood Country Club.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had Netflix and other film people ask to use the property for various projects, but I didn\u2019t want them moving things around, so I said no,\u201d Cassar says.<\/p>\n Cassar says that given the timeless materials used to build his castle, maintenance isn\u2019t a big issue. Still, landscapers and housekeepers are needed to help any property of this size meet royal standards.<\/p>\n A CASTLE IN WHISPERING FARMS<\/p>\n When Billye Battle and her husband saw the former model home for the Whispering Farms community in Prosper, Texas, they felt transported to France.<\/p>\n \u201cThe curb appeal of this castle was amazing,\u201d Battle says. \u201cMy husband knew immediately that this was the right place for us to raise our family. There\u2019s just a unique personality to this house.\u201d<\/p>\n The Battles, who purchased the castle in 2010, have four children aged 12 to 21.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never named the castle because with four kids we have a hard enough time remembering their names,\u201d Battle joked.<\/p>\n Built in 2006, the five-bedroom, 10-bathroom house sits on nearly 2.3 acres. It\u2019s listed for sale with Victoria DeLaCruz of Coldwell Banker Realty at $4.99 million.<\/p>\n \u201cAll our kids\u2019 friends call this \u2018the castle\u2019 because of all the vaulted ceilings and the points and peaks,\u201d Battle says. \u201cThe whole house has high ceilings, but to be practical we added a floor inside one of the turrets for an exercise room.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE: <\/strong>Angel Investor Sends $50 Million Turks and Caicos Villa to the Auction Block<\/a><\/p>\n The house includes multiple turrets and numerous fireplaces. Battle added a resort-style pool to the property, and wrought-iron doors throughout the house in a nod to the castle-like exterior.<\/p>\n While Battle says film and television crews have asked to film their home, they never accept the offer in order to maintain their privacy.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes people just stop by and ask if they can see it,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the exterior in ads sometimes, too, even by contractors we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n But for the Battles and their community, the house serves as the neighborhood magnet for kids and their activities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always nominated as the family to host team parties, including our daughter\u2019s cheer team,\u201d Battle says. \u201cIt\u2019s a great house for entertaining since you can easily move inside and outside.\u201d<\/p>\n The whole house feels like an escape from the Texas landscape into a European vacation, she says. A favorite feature is an elevated breezeway that connects the main house with two guest suites, Battle says, but her husband loves the man cave above the garage, which is also private. They also appreciate the secure room to protect them from storms.<\/p>\n Battle says they are careful to take care of the house and all its details, but she believes that would be true of any house, regardless of whether it resembles a castle.<\/p>\n ALL \u2018SHOOK\u2019 UP<\/p>\n While it might be tempting to think of Elvis at Shook Castle, it\u2019s actually named for John Shook, the original owner and developer of the Bear\u2019s Den gated community where it\u2019s located, about five minutes from Sedalia, Colorado, and about 30 miles south of Denver.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn Shook designed the exterior of the castle, and his wife Emily Shook designed the interior,\u201d says Felicia Jenkins of LIV Sotheby\u2019s International Realty, co-lister of the castle with her mother Joyce Paloma. \u201cThey drew inspiration from a number of different places they traveled, so Emily created a theme for each level: French Chateau for the lower level, Mexico for the main level, and West Africa for the upper level.\u201d<\/p>\n Exceptional materials and craftsmanship are found throughout the castle, which has more than 9,000 square feet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just about the three turrets, it\u2019s truly a castle built of stone,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cIt took more than two years to build it with imported red granite from Oklahoma inside and out. The stone keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer.\u201d<\/p>\n Completed in 2012, Shook Castle sits on nearly 16 acres. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom house, which the Shooks sold to the current owners in 2020, is listed for $5.9 million. A full-time caretaker who was hired by the builder continues to maintain the property, according to Jenkins.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though the castle is big and seems massive from the outside, it feels very warm, inviting, and homey inside,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are sweet touches, like iron heart-shaped doorknobs and chandeliers made of spoons in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n Shook Castle has geothermal heat, a partially heated cobblestone driveway to melt snow, a four-car garage, and a tractor garage. The grounds include a greenhouse, a pond with a solar pump, and three patios with fire pits. Inside, every room on the main level has an exterior entrance and every bedroom has an en suite bathroom, Jenkins says.<\/p>\n \u201cOne turret is above the front door and foyer, another one is over the round breakfast nook in the kitchen, and the other one is right over the tub in the primary bathroom,\u201d Jenkins says. \u201cThe Shooks paid attention to every detail when they designed this house. There\u2019s even a safe room upstairs that looks like it\u2019s a regular closet.\u201d<\/p>\n