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Fake Castles (page 5)

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Marden's Discount [gone]
Portland, ME
Marc's Deep-er Discount [gone]
Akron, OH
Marden's Discount sold clothing, furniture, and other household items. The chain had about a dozen locations but this was the only castle-styled building. This building originally housed a Child World, a now defunct toy store chain which was established in Quincy, MA in 1962. This building was located in the Pine Tree Shopping Center, the oldest shopping center in Maine. This photo is from around 2001. In 2007, the castle features of this building were removed. Marden's has since closed. For more, see this website.

The Marc's Deep-er Discount building was built in 1983 as a Child World toy store in the Rolling Acres mall. The store closed soon after this photo was taken in 1992. Marc's took over the building but then closed in 2004. The mall was built in 1975 and has been vacant since 2008. This building has either been demolished or significantly altered. For more, see this website.

The Child World building in Lancaster, PA survives and still has the original turrets. There are a few other remodeled buildings in Aurora, IL, Waukegan, IL, and Sandusky, OH.

Children's Palace buildings had the same design. There is a surviving building with turrets in St. Louis, MO. Some other surviving buildings can be found in Englewood, CO, Metairie, LA, Knoxville, TN, Memphis, TN, Norfolk, VA, and Barboursville, WV,

For more about these chains, see this website.

King's Table Restaurant & Roller Castle [gone]
Greenville, MI
According to one source, the Roller Castle & King's Table Restaurant building was constructed in the 1920s as a car showroom for Tower Automotive. Another source says the building was originally an armory. A third source says it was built by R.J. Tower in the late 1920s as the Merchant Palace. In 1936, the building was used for 4-H exhibits. In the 1970s, the building was used for storage. In 1981, the building was remodeled and opened as J.R. Roller Castle, a roller rink. The story book murals were painted at that time. After an addition in 1983, the building was also used as King's Table Restaurant, a banquet hall. There was an extensive fire in 2008. These photos are from 2011. Later that year, the building was demolished.

Wild Rover Public House
and Bistro
Marquette, MI
 Water Tower
Brainerd, MN
 Minnesota Museum of Mining
Chisholm, MN
The Wild Rover Public House and Bistro opened in 2009. The building previously housed Jeffrey's Cafe. Does anyone know what was here originally? By 2023, this building was housing the WZMQ television station. [map]

This concrete, castle style Water Tower was built in 1918. This structure is no longer functional, having been replaced with another water tower in 1960. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [map]

The Minnesota Museum of Mining castle style building was built in 1933. The design was based on the Army Corps of Engineers logo. The building was originally used as a firing range.

More Michigan:
Highlands Castle (Canadian Lakes)
Grand Castle (Grand Rapids)
Jorma Lankinen Castle House (Marquette) [map]
Curwood Castle (Owosso) [map]

More Minnesota:
Hans Skalle's Camelot Restaurant (Bloomington) [map]
National Guard (Madison)

Missouri:
The Workhouse (Kansas City)
Castle Northmoor (Northmoor) [map]
former Children's Palace (St. Louis)

Royal Land
Meridian, MS
The Royal Land amusement park opened in the late 1960s with a collection of second-hand rides. It closed in the early 1970s. The name came from the owner, Lloyd Royal. This twin-turret entrance is all that remains of the place. For more, see this website. [map]

More Mississippi:
Castle House (Aberdeen)

Montana State Prison
Deer Lodge, MT
The Montana State Prison was built in 1871 and was in use until 1979 when it moved to a new location. This building now houses the Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [map]

North Carolina:
Gimghoul Castle (Chapel Hill)
Buried Castle (Nags Head)

Enchanted Castle Hotel
Regent, ND
The Enchanted Castle Hotel was adapted from a former high school in 2012. The rooms have a Middle Ages theme. The owner, Gary Greff, is responsible for the Enchanted Highway sculptures around town. Greff built giant Knight and Dragon statues next to the hotel. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Seacoast Mini Storage
Seabrook, NH
Seacoast Mini Storage added this castle facade to their building in the late 1990s. [map]

Casino Pier
Seaside Heights, NJ
 Gillian's Wonderland
Ocean City, NJ
This Casino Pier building houses an arcade and a carousel. Does anyone know when it was built? This photo is from 2012. By 2013, the building was repainted white and blue. [map]

This Gillian's Wonderland building houses food stands, arcade games, and a carousel. I don't know when this castle facade was built. [map]

More New Jersey:
Gatehouse (Hoboken)

Castle Court
Las Cruces, NM
The Castle Court looks like it was built as a motel. The Castle Court Shops sign is installed just to the west of this building. Does anyone know the history of this place? [map]

Castle Building [gone]
Clovis, NM
This Castle Building had been vacant for many years. I'm told that this building had been used as a liquor store and lounge, a second-hand shop, and a grocery store. The castle features were not part of the building's original construction. Supposedly, those details were added in the mid-1980s. Does anyone know when and what business added the castle look? In 2022, all of the castle features were removed.

Blue Castle Auto [gone]
Albuquerque, NM
 Castle
Moriarty, NM
Blue Castle Auto was previously the Blue Castle Alignment Shop. There were knight statues installed below the roofline. Does anyone know when this building was constructed or more about it? In 2022, the castle details were removed from the building. For more, see this website.

This Castle in Moriarty is located at McCall's Pumpkin Patch. It was built around 2015. [map]

Sandcastle Self Storage
Albuquerque, NM
Sandcastle Self Storage may have been built in 1985. I don't know if this was the original tenant. There might be a house on top of the building. [map]

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