134-Year-Old Windsor Castle Replica Hits Philly-Area Auction Block
Philadelphians in search of the royal treatment don’t need to look any further than Montgomery County.
The 134-year-old Lindenwold Castle in Ambler, which was designed to look like the British royal family’s Windsor Castle residence, is on the auction block. The 24K SF structure’s permissive zoning means it can become anything from a single-family home to apartments, offices or a senior living facility.
More than $3M worth of construction has been completed on the structure since 2019, according to Paramount Realty USA, the company coordinating the sale.
Owner Leonard Poncia of Bensalem-based Aquinas Realty Partners had aimed to convert the castle into a mixed-use development with 11 apartments and ground-floor commercial space. Those plans have already been approved by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
Lindenwold Castle was first constructed on a vast rural property in 1890. It was renovated to resemble Windsor Castle in 1912.
The building began its life as the home of industrialist Richard Mattison, who led asbestos manufacturing company Keasbey & Mattison. The firm’s outsized role in Ambler is how the community earned its “Asbestos Capital of the World” nickname, according to The Reporter.
Mattison moved out of the property during the Great Depression. It was purchased in 1936 by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who converted it into an orphanage.
Poncia acquired what was by then a 50-acre site in 2013, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported. He sold two parcels to developers, making way for 104 townhomes and a 250-unit senior living facility.
The interior of the property contains ornate woodwork, chandeliers and several stained-glass windows, according to Paramount.
Lindenwold Castle is less than a mile from the interchange of Pennsylvania Route 309 and Interstate 276. It’s also about a five-minute drive or 20-minute walk from the Ambler regional rail station, which has service to Center City.
Bids start at $1.5M and are due by Dec. 19, according to Paramount Realty USA, the company coordinating the sale. They can be submitted online. Instructions are available on Paramount’s website.
The building was appraised at $1.9M in 2022.
