B&B For Sale

Historic Texas bed and breakfast with a cigar factory past goes on sale for $1.2 million

Editor's Note: Houston and the surrounding areas are loaded with must-have houses for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

A country-chic, top-rated bed and breakfast is up for sale in Round Top, with options for a buyer to continue to run it as a business or make it a family vacation compound — or a combination of both — all the while enjoying a relaxed lifestyle in this antique haven. Let's take a visit to the renowned Round Top Inn.

A Bit of History
In the 1880s, German immigrant Charles H. Schiege constructed three of the six buildings on the site, now known as 407 S. White St. Here, Schiege operated the Schiege Cigar Factory until the 1930s, distributing his popular hand-rolled cigars — including the Texas Star and LaRosa Suprema — across Texas. The cigar master provided housing for his employees, and factory workers ate their meals with the Schiege family.

The inn has honored that tradition of Texas hospitality for 20 years by serving guests a home-cooked breakfast each morning in the Cigar Factory.

After three generations of Schiege family members, preservationist Hazel Ledbetter of Houston purchased and restored the Main House in 1965, which was then owned by philanthropist Faith Bybee and the Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation. In 1991, Ted and Sandy Reed of Houston carefully refashioned all of the accommodations.

David Athey, a Houston native, bought and updated the entire property in 2008, bringing his vision of a luxury countryside inn to life, while also staying true to the site’s history.

Walk Around
The inn pairs modern amenities with rustic charm, offering guests a cozy stay in picturesque surroundings within walking distance of town square. Beautifully restored guest rooms and cottages are nestled among majestic oak trees and manicured grounds on this one-acre compound.

Built in 1885, the two-story Main House is the largest residence on the property, featuring two individual guest suites upstairs and living quarters for the former innkeeper downstairs. The Farm House is complete with a sprawling front porch and plenty of rocking chairs. An adorable two-story, salt-box-style abode, the Gate House offers two bedrooms, while the Little Cottage is a private retreat on its own with a king-sized bed and full bathroom with a Jacuzzi/shower.

Located over the Cigar Factory, the Bunk Room is a loft with a queen-sized bed, twin bed and a full private bathroom. Appointed with antiques, artwork and distinctive personal touches, no two rooms are alike.

A spacious Retreat Center is perfect for reunions, birthdays, luncheons or private parties. Facilities are connected by hand-laid rock sidewalks, and designated parking makes for easy access to all structures.

Square footage: Five residences and a retreat center on about one acre

Asking price: $1,225,000

Listing agent: Walter Bering, Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

The Retreat Center at The Roundtop Inn.

On the Market Round Top Inn February 2014

Photo by © Ben Hill TK Images

The Retreat Center at The Roundtop Inn.

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Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines finally sell $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot Waco castle at nearly $2.7 million.

Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

castle celebrities chip and joanna fixer upper gaines home for sale waco luxury