The Lambermont estate is an 11,000 square foot “castle” that has nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
SAN ANTONIO — Have you ever wanted to live in your own castle? Many of us dream of a lavish lifestyle surrounded by ornate architecture and ivory towers. But you don’t have to move to Europe to live like a king or princess. Danny Hermosillo gives us a tour of San Antonio’s own castle which is up for sale.
Nestled in the middle of government hill, across from Fort Sam Houston sits a castle frozen in time. It’s called Lambermont, a noble name from the gilded age of San Antonio when elegant estates with distinctive architecture took center stage.
“The house was built in 1894, and it was built for a man named Edwin Terrell. He was the U.S. ambassador to Belgium,” says Donna Liston, owner of Lambermont. “He sent the architect Alfred Giles to Europe to get this European-feel castle, for his second wife, his new bride.”
Liston knows quite a bit about new brides and their wishes. The long-time wedding planner and her husband bought Lambermont 17 years ago. Their goal was to create a magical place for weddings and other events where anyone could feel like royalty. But first they had to restore its beauty from decades of decay.
“We spent three years restoring it, says Liston. “There are so many unique architectural features. For example, just here on the baluster there. It’s not applique. It’s truly carved. There are, you know, the staircase and the woodwork and the flooring is just amazing that you just can’t find this anymore.”
Over the years, Lambermont went from palace to private residence, to apartments, then a bed and breakfast. Along the way, its beauty was walled off, leaving the new owners on treasure hunt.
“So, as we go through, we were able to just open walls and found all these original stairs in the walls,” says Liston. “It was just an amazing.”
Now the 11,000 square foot estate features 9 bedrooms, formal dining rooms, quiet sitting areas, and an abundance of ambiance.
“This bedroom has a private balcony. We do lots of photo shoots here,” says Liston. But even fairy tales come to an end. The owners have put Lambermont up for sale.
“It’s so unique in the fact that San Antonio doesn’t really have architecture like this,” says Realtor Evan Rayborn. “Like they’re maybe a handful of these in San Antonio, and they never go for sale.”
Rayborn was lucky enough to land the listing. So how do you market a one-of-a-kind castle?
”Selling points for me are the fact that this is zoned residential and commercial, says Rayborn. “You could have somebody that’s very wealthy come in and have this be there forever Home or you could have a company come in and turn this into a spa or a wedding venue, like it’s being used as now.”
While Lambermont has become a part of Donna’s life, she says she’s ready to pass the treasure on to someone else.
“It has outlived many other people. It’s going to outlive us,” says Liston. “And we just want to find somebody that’s going to come in and love it just as much as we have and continue its life.”
So, after viewing this beautiful castle, you’re probably wondering. Okay, how much is it? Well, as the old saying goes, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. But we can dream, can’t we?
While you might not be able to afford to buy Lambermont, you can still rent it for weddings and other events. The owners say even after it sells, reservations will be honored for the next year.