Waco: sneak a peek inside Cottonland Castle renovations

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WACO – For years, the Cottonland Castle has been a landmark
and a vacant eyesore for the historic neighborhoods along Austin Ave.

Now work has begun to turn the 126-year-old castle into a
comfortable home while preserving its unique architecture.

That means installing new plumbing, wiring and climate
control and creating a modern kitchen and bathrooms while meeting the
preservation standards needed to maintain it as a registered Texas Historic
Landmark.

The exterior will be restored to its original appearance,
with diamond-paned windows carefully repaired, stone repointed and 1970s-era
storm windows removed.

The team will also preserve and restore the ground-floor
interior, which includes quartersawn oak and mahogany and breathtaking
fireplaces made of carved French Caen stone and pink granite.

Another prized feature of the ground floor is the 9-foot-high
oak front door, which still pivots easily on its hinges despite its weight of
400 pounds.

The upstairs layout will be modified to make room for modern
bathrooms and closets, while preserving some notable details such as plaster
crown molding.

The Cottonland Castle
dates back to 1890, when a British-born stonemason named John Tennant began
building the foundation and basement with stone left over from working on the
Provident Building downtown.

The castle and its outbuilding required 120
train carloads of stone, mostly white sandstone. The
three-story house included a basement, a 60-foot tower on the corner and a flat
roof with a crenelated top.