KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Henderson Castle has overlooked Kalamazoo for more than 100 years. In that time, the castle has had only ten owners but that could be 11 soon, because it’s just been put up for sale.
“I have a lot of fun; every minute of the castle has been amazing.”
For 13 years, Chef Francois Moyet has been the owner — or the guardian, as he calls himself — of Henderson Castle.
"Look at the ceiling and how beautiful it is.”
His pride can be seen as he walks around the mansion.
“As you can see, a beautiful view of the city.”
Since he became the guardian, he has transformed the Queen Anne-style home into a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, a spa, a winery and an event space.
“I spent over $1.5 million in the last ten years to remodel and fix up the castle.”
Now Francois feels it is time to move on and sell the castle.
“I’m about ready to retire. I want to go back to France, which is my home country. I've been here for 30 years now and it's time for me to go spend time with my family and my mother.”
The castle has been listed at just under $5 million. Part of the purchase agreement will be that the new owner will have to keep and run the castle as it is now.
Francois says, “Whoever it is going to be, somebody's going to need to take the leadership of what I've been doing and take that to the next level. So, they're going to have to follow my footsteps.”
Francois and his realtor know, with the castle being so unique on top of having a big price tag, finding a new owner won’t be easy. But he says it’s time for Francois to move on.
The listing agent, Casey Alger, says, “Francois has owned the castle for 13 years, and it's a lot of work. So, I think now it's time for him to pass the torch and find a new guardian for the castle and bring some new energy and life into the place. ... It's a staple of Kalamazoo, so it's not going anywhere.”
Regardless of who the next guardian is, Francois wants to make sure Henderson Castle will be open to everyone and continue to overlook the city for another 100 years.
“My opinion, the castle is priceless.”
If you have anything booked at the castle, Francois says the new owner will be required to honor all bookings.
