Martin Castle

Martin Castle, outside Lexington, Kentucky

The Castle Post, also known as Martin Castle and Versailles Castle, is a castle in Kentucky, located Versailles, Kentucky, near Lexington, Kentucky, 201 Pisgah Pike near the Woodford County line, part of a 50 acres (20 ha) estate.[1] It is visually situated off Lexington (Versailles) road. The Castle Post overlooks the Elkhorn Creek watershed on the Woodford/Fayette county line. Construction began in 1969 by its original owners, and has since changed hands undergoing a major renovation in 2004.[1] As of 2010 it is for sale again.[1] Today it operates as a bed and breakfast and special functions facility.[1]

History

Construction on the castle was started by Rex Martin and his wife Caroline Bogaert Martin in 1969, after they had returned from a trip to Germany and were inspired by the architecture and many famous buildings they had seen in Europe. The finished project was to have seven bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms, a fountain in the driveway, and a tennis court. In 1975, the Martins divorced and left the castle unfinished. Over the years, it became a popular oddity and roadside photo-op for tourists. In 1988 Rex Martin put it on the market, but died before it was sold. In 2003 the so-called "Martin Castle" was sold for 1.8 million dollars to Thomas R. Post, a wealthy lawyer of property tax (University of Kentucky) from Miami, and the name was changed to "The Castle Post". It had been for sale for many years at a price rumored to be more than 3 million dollars, and there had been talks that it would be turned into a medieval-themed restaurant or a museum.

On May 10, 2004, after months of renovations, tragedy struck when newly installed woodwork and wiring caught fire in the main building. Thomas R. Post, the castle's new owner, who was at his home in Miami at the time, had already spent months renovating it but vowed to rebuild. Approximately twice the castle's original cost went towards the reconstruction project. Post, an attorney from Miami, graduated from the University of Kentucky and uses the castle as an inn, charity fund raisers and other special events. His wife, M. Judith Donovan Post M.D., graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and is a prominent Neuroradiologist at Jackson Memorial Hospital and Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. They have two children, Kathryn and Christopher, both recent graduates of Cornell University.

Reconstruction was completed in fall 2008. New additions includes twelve luxury suites, a library, game room, music room, dining hall, ball room, swimming pool, formal garden, basketball court, bar, and tennis court. It is used as a tourist inn,[2] fund raisers, weddings, special events, and corporate functions. It has sixteen bedrooms, four of which are in the outside turrets.

In November, 2010 the property was listed for sale at $30,000,000.[1] Post said he would continue to operate it as an inn while it is listed.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kentucky castle is up for sale, USA Today, November 9, 2010
  2. ↑ Room rates

External links

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