The 134-year-old Lindenwold Castle in Ambler is being auctioned off with a reserve price of $1.5 million. It was built in 1890 for the "Asbestos King" Richard Mattison, who was head of asbestos manufacturer Keasbey & Mattison. The property was designed to replicate Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom by Lansdale architect Milton Bean. The castle was originally built in the center of a 400-acre estate, and over time, was reduced to fewer than 50 acres in 1936 when it was sold to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In 2013, Leonard Poncia of Bensalem-based Aquinas Realty Partners purchased the remaining nearly 50 acres off of Bethlehem Pike. Two parcels were sold to developers, and those new developments surround the castle. Poncia maintained ownership of the 24,000-square-foot castle, and has spent about $3 million updating its systems and preserving the stone exterior. The property is approved for conversion to 11 residential units and three ground-floor office spaces, or it could be used as a single-family home. The sealed-bid auction for the historically designated property ends on Dec. 19.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal; 11/22/2024