Henderson Castle
Encyclopedia
Henderson Castle, built in 1895, is a large privately owned home located on the steep West Main Hill overlooking downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan
. The castle has been recently renovated and is under new ownership since 2005. The building is open to the public and has been since the new ownership.
The history of the home began with Frank Henderson. Mr. Henderson was one of early Kalamazoo’s most successful businessmen. He was the owner and president of Henderson-Ames Company. Henderson-Ames made uniform regalia for secret societies, fraternal organizations, and the military. Mr. Henderson’s wife, Mary, had inherited a plot of undeveloped land on the western edge of Kalamazoo before the company's large success and Mr. Henderson dreamt of a grand suburb on this land. Allowing that dream to come to fruition, in 1888, he enlisted the help of surveyors, engineers, and landscape architects to plot the land and create Kalamazoo’s first "natural site plan". In 1890, Mr. Henderson was ready to build his home in his new residential district.
The Queen Anne style house was designed by C. A. Gombert of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. The $72,000 building costs included seven baths (one with a thirteen-head shower), an elevator, a third-floor ballroom, and a hot tub on the roof (added later). The castle’s exterior was constructed of Lake Superior
sandstone
and brick
, and the interior wood included mahogany
, bird's eye maple
, quartered oak
, birch
, and American sycamore
. The castle was built with 25 rooms in all and exemplified the most expensive tastes of the time.
The Henderson's had a grand housewarming party in 1895 at the completion of the castle's construction. Mr. Henderson died in 1899, however, his wife remained at the castle until 1908.
After Mrs. Henderson moved away, nine parties have owned Henderson Castle. Charles B. Wing, the Vice-President of Bryant Paper Company, and Bertrand Hopper, President and Treasurer of Kalamazoo Stationary Company were just two owners. In the 1920s, Hopper converted the brick stable on the property to a four car garage; it has since been transformed into a separate residence. After being vacant for several years, William Stuifbergen purchased the house in 1945, and divided it into several apartments. He and his family resided in one of the units. In 1957 the house was purchased as the future site for the Kalamazoo Art Center, but when the Institute of Arts remained downtown Kalamazoo, the castle became the property of the renowned liberal arts school, Kalamazoo College
, where the campus lies just a block to the north of the castle's grounds. In 1975 Dr. Jess Walker bought the house and began a restoration process that continued under Frederick Royce, who purchased the property in 1981. He then was a guest star on House Hunters International, and sold the castle and moved to Buenos Aries, Argentina in 2005. Laura and Peter Livingstone-McNelis are the current owners of the castle. They obtained the home in 2005, and have maintained it as open to the public (running the bed and breakfast Royce had started).
Also of interest, the castle was the setting for a science fiction movie filmed in Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. The castle has been recently renovated and is under new ownership since 2005. The building is open to the public and has been since the new ownership.
The history of the home began with Frank Henderson. Mr. Henderson was one of early Kalamazoo’s most successful businessmen. He was the owner and president of Henderson-Ames Company. Henderson-Ames made uniform regalia for secret societies, fraternal organizations, and the military. Mr. Henderson’s wife, Mary, had inherited a plot of undeveloped land on the western edge of Kalamazoo before the company's large success and Mr. Henderson dreamt of a grand suburb on this land. Allowing that dream to come to fruition, in 1888, he enlisted the help of surveyors, engineers, and landscape architects to plot the land and create Kalamazoo’s first "natural site plan". In 1890, Mr. Henderson was ready to build his home in his new residential district.
The Queen Anne style house was designed by C. A. Gombert of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. The $72,000 building costs included seven baths (one with a thirteen-head shower), an elevator, a third-floor ballroom, and a hot tub on the roof (added later). The castle’s exterior was constructed of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
, and the interior wood included mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
, bird's eye maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, quartered oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, and American sycamore
American sycamore
Platanus occidentalis, also known as American Sycamore, American plane, Occidental plane, and Buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America...
. The castle was built with 25 rooms in all and exemplified the most expensive tastes of the time.
The Henderson's had a grand housewarming party in 1895 at the completion of the castle's construction. Mr. Henderson died in 1899, however, his wife remained at the castle until 1908.
After Mrs. Henderson moved away, nine parties have owned Henderson Castle. Charles B. Wing, the Vice-President of Bryant Paper Company, and Bertrand Hopper, President and Treasurer of Kalamazoo Stationary Company were just two owners. In the 1920s, Hopper converted the brick stable on the property to a four car garage; it has since been transformed into a separate residence. After being vacant for several years, William Stuifbergen purchased the house in 1945, and divided it into several apartments. He and his family resided in one of the units. In 1957 the house was purchased as the future site for the Kalamazoo Art Center, but when the Institute of Arts remained downtown Kalamazoo, the castle became the property of the renowned liberal arts school, Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...
, where the campus lies just a block to the north of the castle's grounds. In 1975 Dr. Jess Walker bought the house and began a restoration process that continued under Frederick Royce, who purchased the property in 1981. He then was a guest star on House Hunters International, and sold the castle and moved to Buenos Aries, Argentina in 2005. Laura and Peter Livingstone-McNelis are the current owners of the castle. They obtained the home in 2005, and have maintained it as open to the public (running the bed and breakfast Royce had started).
Also of interest, the castle was the setting for a science fiction movie filmed in Kalamazoo.