Waco’s royal couple, Sir Chip and Lady Joanna, request the pleasure of your company in September, when their Magnolia Network will begin broadcasting eight episodes chronicling their renovation of the Cottonland Castle.
The Gaineses acquired the historic structure at 3300 Austin Ave. in February 2019, after an antiquities scholar bowed out of renovating the 19th century, stone-and-wood structure to the satisfaction of the Texas Historical Commission. The Gaineses long had professed admiration for the towering, 6,700-square-foot edifice owned by many over the years. Chip Gaines’ bids seemingly always fell below those of others.
But that all changed three years ago, when the couple most known for “Fixer Upper” and Magnolia Market at the Silos stormed the castle and made it their own. Whether they paid the $425,000 asking price, possibly they only know. They secured a building permit on July 14, 2021, bent on mending the imperfections a 130-year-old structure is apt to suffer.
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This process and more may appear on “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home — The Castle,” which fans may view as the Gaineses’ definitive makeover.
News that the Castle will become a national star already is making waves.
Kendall Wood, operations manager at Waco Tours, said the Castle has become a regular stop on the daily excursions around town. Guests love stories about its history, often hopping from the van to take photos.
“Since they bought it, we had assumed there would be a TV show about it. We’ve seen camera crews outside,” Wood said. “It’s a historic landmark for Waco, and I’m confident it will be restored to its former glory. I’m a resident of Castle Heights, and it’s great to see it in good hands.”
The Castle resides within the Castle Heights neighborhood just off Franklin Avenue in the central city. The tight-knit community boasts stately homes on large lots, quiet streets and a protective nature, having rallied at Waco City Hall in the 1990s to protest attempts to make the Castle a bed-and-breakfast inn.
Waco real estate agent Towne Adams, who resides at 2912 Austin Ave., said he long has been a member of the Austin Avenue Neighborhood Association. He’s impressed with what Chip and Joanna have done with the Castle.
“The water cleaning of the stone ... it really looks good,” he said. “They even cleaned the fence. They also are putting in a sprinkler system, or replacing it. I don’t know what they are going to do with it when they’re finished. Feature it, of course. I guess it is the most recognized house in Waco.”
John W. Erwin General Contractor, a long-established Waco firm, is serving as general contractor on the project. The company said Thursday it would have no comment.
K. Paul Holt, president of Waco’s Associated General Contractors of America office, said John W. Erwin and Magnolia have entered into a non-disclosure agreement precluding the contractor from discussing the project.
Holt said he lives near the Castle, and enjoys monitoring progress.
“It’s fun to watch. I’ve been watching it 33 years now,” said Holt, referencing his longtime exposure to the Castle’s ongoing transformation.
He said Magnolia enjoys a good reputation for using local subcontractors, which is good news considering its lengthy to-do list. It is converting the former Tribune-Herald building at Ninth Street and Franklin Avenue to Magnolia’s corporate headquarters, a $21 million project that the Waco City Council this week approved for $1.2 million in economic development incentives and another $2.6 million in Tax Increment Financing Zone No. 1 funding assistance.
The city of Waco recently issued a building permit valued at $18 million to begin the renovation, according to the AGC newsletter.
As part of its incentive package, Magnolia has agreed to use social media platforms to help the city and county promote the community to people looking to move, while they also work to recruit business and industry.
Bobby Horner, spokesperson for the city of Waco’s inspection services department, said Magnolia’s construction plans related to renovating the Castle made the rounds among city departments many months ago. He said city inspectors visit the Castle regularly, as they would any project.
“That is a historic building, so they are not allowed to do a whole lot to change it structurally,” Horner said. “I don’t know how often our guys make it out there, but it is a slow, tedious process. I do know Magnolia found a way to clean the outside, and it looks much better, much cleaner.”
The stone castle, which was started in 1890 and finished as a home for businessman Alfred Abeel around 1913, is a state historic landmark with a marker near the front walkway to prove it. It has been vacant more than 20 years despite several efforts to renovate it, the Tribune-Herald reported.
Dirk Obbink, an Oxford University classicist who lived in England who occasionally lectured at Baylor University, owned the castle before the Gaineses purchased it. He hoped to remedy its many faults, including water damage, rotting woodwork, antiquated electrical and plumbing systems, and the stained exterior.
Toss in other improvements outlined by Waco architect Sterling Thompson and the Texas Historical Commission, and the to-do list would have pushed renovation costs to between $600,000 and $1 million. The range would have depended whether a new food preparation and dining area was included, said Tom Lupfer Jr., who was involved in several high-profile renovations locally and had signed a three-year contract in 2016 to take up the Castle’s challenge.
A visit to the grounds Thursday revealed no sign of a pool filled with dirty water and surrounded by a rickety fence that was visible in February 2019, when the Gaineses bought the property. Several people Thursday were landscaping the grounds, and a flower garden near the back looked freshly planted.
Carla Pendergraft, who markets the Waco Convention Center and tracks local tourist attractions, said Thursday she believes the Castle’s appearance on the Magnolia Network should spark renewed interest in the building.
“We noticed that fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines started taking selfies at the Cottonland Castle as soon as word got out that the couple bought it,” she said in an email response to the Tribune-Herald. “Film tourism brings a significant number of people to Waco, along with positive economic impact through their stays in hotels, dining, and in the shopping area.”