Did You Know Someone Built A Castle In Louisiana?
You can be the King and Queen of your castle—literally! The famous Irish Bayou Castle is for sale at 3262 Ridgeway Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70129. According to the realtor, Matthew Grass, the iconic piece of Louisiana history is on a 6,000-square-foot lot and features roughly 1,318 square feet of living space, including two bedrooms and one bath.
The property is a state landmark and has been called various names by the locals, the 'Little White Castle' and the 'Fishermen's Castle.' However, it is most commonly known as the Irish Bayou Castle because it is located in the tiny fishing community where it sits on Irish Bayou.
WDSU TV did a documentary on the property in 2013 and reported that the unique home was built to resemble a 14th-century chateau. The architect was Simon Villemarette, who was said to have grown bored with rectangular or square traditional homes. For the past 40+ years, the structure has intrigued and piqued the curiosity of the thousands of travelers along I-10.
Finished just before the 1984 World's Fair in Crescent City, reportedly Villimarette reportedly intended to make the 'Little White Castle' an official tourist attraction. However, unforeseen illness and various other circumstances altered his plans. Ultimately the castle has become a Louisiana landmark anyway and continues to be a point of interest for tourists to this day.
The Fisherman's Castle has withstood numerous hurricanes and has passed through the hands of many owners. It has also undergone a few renovations, including one that reportedly occurred in 2022 before being listed. In 2013, WGNO’s Kenny Lopez did a documentary on “The Little White Castle,” and a year later, he was able to tour the iconic property.
Check out the video from that tour below!
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Gallery Credit: Stacker