A Fairy-Tale Castle In the Local Area is Getting Worldwide Attention
Here's how a dream castle in the Hudson Valley became a reality which now attracts guests from all over the world.
Nearly 50 years ago, Toni Ann and Peter Wing started dreaming of living in Millbrook on 12 acres of land that has been in the Wing Family since 1888.
Shortly after getting married in 1971 they broke ground on their dream home, which later became a castle.
"At the time, the original intent of the structure was an old barn with two silos. But we had no design experience," Peter said in a documentary, transcribed by Mother Nature Network. "We laid the silos out too big around to give them living space, not realizing they would look like castle towers instead of silos. When that happened, we just simply said: ‘why not?’"
For the next 23 years, Peter designed and built the home using materials he found or purchased from the Hudson Valley, including pieces from 11 barns.
For three years the Wings camped under a tarp as the castle's framework was being built.
“I don’t think either of us thought construction would last that long,” says Toni told Architectural Digest, which posted a feature on the home on Wednesday. “If someone said, you’re going to do this for the next 47 years of your life, we’d have said no way. We thought it was a two-year project. We were pretty naive.”
In the 1980s, the family started making money off the castle by allowing anyone to tour the home. Then, more construction came after they decided to open up a bed-and-breakfast inside the castle.
"That’s when he began building what became the second half of the castle, the one with guest rooms, and that was the next 22 years of our life," Toni said to Architectural Digest.
Six years ago, just prior to Peter's death, Toni and Peter opened "Wing's Castle" to overnight guests. Peter was killed in a 2014 car crash, but Toni continues to run the bed-and-breakfast.
The History channel's "American Pickers" toured the castle in 2015. To get an inside look at the castle watch the video below: