The first, Castle-Models.com, was shut down by local politicians as an illegally run commercial business on a residential property. According to the Worcester Telegram, the now-defunct website advertised women, rated on how "ethnic" they were, for $125 per hour “photo sessions” (with a two-hour minimum): “And with the laws of attraction in hand, comes desire, intrigue, and lust, which man has learned to exploit and sell as if it were a commodity,” read the site.
Then there were the zebras. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as president of exotic animal refuge Wilderness Kingdom, Inc, Mark was running a “traveling zoo.” Controversy erupted when, during his messy divorce proceedings, it was discovered that a camel had died of neglect. Mark and his wife blamed one another.
This Games of Thrones-esque intrigue may partly explain why the castle has lingered on the market, dropping $6 million in price. There are few people in the market for a castle, and even fewer in the market for a castle notorious for animal cruelty and “modeling” agencies.
Due to its sheer size and quirkiness, it’s also “an endless task to keep it up,” noted John Pizzi, sales associate with Randall Realtors, which has represented the property for the 18 months it’s been on the market.
Buyers up to the task can command a 126-foot-high turreted observation tower. The main home goes up a mere 35 feet because that’s the height local fire trucks can reach. (A source said the owner was willing to buy fire trucks that went higher, but town legislators balked.) There are 12 fireplaces, elevators, central air, and a backup generator, and it’s fully wired.
“It has state-of-the-art electronics,” said Pizzi. “You can walk around the castle with an iPhone and control all kinds of things.”
Pizzi also pointed out that Mark used granite that was quarried right on the 350-acre property, 75 acres of which are for sale. Mark bought a small foundry so he could have all the ironwork done just right, and he traveled through Europe for 18 months, looking for architectural details and antiques to fill and define the castle.
“The castle isn’t sold furnished,” said Pizzi, “but everything’s negotiable in real estate.”
Highlands Castle — Bolton Landing, N.Y.
Listed for: $12.8 million
The legend of 18 Skyline Drive involves either the world’s best father or the world’s most indulgent, depending on your point of view. Back in 1975, John Lavender promised his son he would build him a castle. Some 800 tons of stone later, Highlands Castle now has a great hall with 25-foot-high beamed ceilings and 21 floor-to-ceiling windows inset into stone walls; a private driveway a third of a mile long; and 180-degree views of the surrounding Adirondack Mountains and Lake George below. Also: life-sized lion statues, iron gates, and solid oak trim-work, cabinets, doors, and floors. It’s set on 8.7 acres.