Henderson Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henderson Castle |
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| Kalamazoo, Michigan | |
Henderson Castle in August 2011
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 Henderson Castle
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| Coordinates | 42°17.572′N 85°36.300′W / 42.292867°N 85.605000°W |
| Type | Queen Anne style |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private home |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Renovated |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1895 |
| Built by | C. A. Gombert |
| Materials | Sandstone & brick |
Henderson Castle, built way back in 1895, is a really cool, big house in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It sits on a tall hill called West Main Hill, looking over the city. This amazing castle is privately owned, but guess what? You can actually visit it! It has been fixed up recently and is now open for people to explore.
Castle Design and Features
This grand house is built in the Queen Anne style. It was designed by an architect named C. A. Gombert from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Building the castle cost about $72,000 back then, which was a huge amount of money!
The castle has many special features. It included seven bathrooms, with one having a shower that could spray water from thirteen different spots! There was also an elevator to help people get around. On the third floor, you could find a large ballroom, perfect for parties. A hot tub was even added to the roof later on.
The outside of the castle is made from strong sandstone from Lake Superior and brick. Inside, you'll find beautiful wood like mahogany, bird's eye maple, oak, birch, and American sycamore. The castle has 25 rooms in total, showing off the most expensive tastes of its time.
History of Henderson Castle
The story of Henderson Castle begins with Frank Henderson. He was a very successful businessman in early Kalamazoo. Mr. Henderson owned a company called Henderson-Ames Company. This company made special uniforms and decorations for clubs, groups, and the military.
Mr. Henderson's wife, Mary, owned some undeveloped land on the west side of Kalamazoo. Frank Henderson had a big dream to turn this land into a fancy neighborhood. In 1888, he hired experts like surveyors and landscape architects. They helped him plan the land to create Kalamazoo's first "natural site plan." This meant they designed the neighborhood to fit in with the natural shape of the land.
By 1890, Mr. Henderson was ready to build his own home in this new area. The castle was finished in 1895, and the Hendersons had a grand party to celebrate. Sadly, Mr. Henderson passed away in 1899. His wife, Mary, continued to live in the castle until she died in 1907.
The Henderson children inherited the castle. It wasn't until 1919 that the castle was sold outside of the family. Since then, ten different owners have lived in Henderson Castle. The first owner after the Hendersons was Bertrand Hopper, who was the president of Kalamazoo Stationery Company.
In the 1920s, Mr. Hopper changed the brick stable on the property into a garage for four cars. Today, that old stable has been turned into a separate house. After being empty for a few years, William Stuifbergen bought the castle in 1945. He divided the big house into several apartments, and his family lived in one of them.
In 1957, the castle became the property of the First National Bank. It was thought about for an Art Institute, but then it went to Kalamazoo College. This college is a well-known school located just a block south of the castle.
In 1975, Dr. Jess Walker bought the house and started to fix it up. Frederick Royce continued this restoration work when he bought the property in 1981. He later sold the castle and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005.
Laura and Peter Livingstone-McNelis bought the home in 2005. They kept it open to the public, continuing the bed and breakfast business that Royce had started. In 2010, Robert Jackson purchased the castle. Then, in 2011, a French chef named Francois Moyet bought it. He still runs the bed and breakfast today. He has also opened a fancy French restaurant inside the castle and a spa called "Mary Henderson's Spa."
It's also interesting to know that the castle was used as a filming location for a science fiction movie made in Kalamazoo!
