Hear ye, year ye

Chip and Joanna Gaines' new Fixer Upper castle is opening for tours in Waco

Jo and Chip in front of a Caen stone fireplace in the Cottonland Castle.

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Sound the trumpets! Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are opening the doors to their castle and letting peasants traipse in.

Okay, so it's not a real royal castle — it's a historic castle-style home in Waco that they've just renovated — but the invitation still stands.

For the first time ever, the public will get to step inside a Fixer Upper property before it's featured on the Gaineses' home-reno show. According to Magnolia Network, the castle's painstaking and Herculean renovation will be the subject of the eight-episode special Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle, airing in September.

But before the show airs, the couple is offering intimate guided tours of the century-old structure in Waco's posh Castle Heights neighborhood, July 21 through October 26, 2022.

The Gaineses told The Insider that the tours will give Fixer Upper fans a look at every room in the castle and will focus on Joanna's approach to designing the house. The project, they said, has reminded them of the power of "beauty in unexpected places."

"For nearly 20 years, we dreamed and imagined what it would be like to breathe new life into this abandoned, century-old castle," they told the magazine. "Finally having the opportunity, we're again reminded that there's great reward in unearthing beauty in unexpected places. The doors are open once again, and we can't wait to host you here at the castle so you can experience this stunning historical home in all its glory,"

A Magnolia representative calls the castle "the most historic restoration project that Chip and Jo have ever done."

The three-story, 6,700-square-foot castle — located at 3300 Austin Ave. — became known around Waco as the Cottonland Castle. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, construction started in 1890 and was completed in 1913. "[The] finished residence, modeled after a German castle on the Rhine River," the Trib says, "included a tower, servants’ quarters, eight fireplaces and interior touches such as Italian Carrara marble, Honduran mahogany paneling and Caen stone from France, according to the wacohistory.org account."

Joanna wrote in a blog post that she and Chip had been eyeing the property for a long time. "We’d drive by often, and Chip never ceased dreaming aloud about how fun it would be to restore the house to its former glory," she wrote. "Sure, he had heard rumors of the water damage inside and the serious plumbing problems and the tangles of knob- and-tube wiring. But those things couldn’t keep this dreamer from dreaming and imagining what it would be like to breathe new life into the old place."

The Gaineses bought the property in 2019. According to the Trib, the price they paid was not disclosed, "but the property was listed at $425,000 and had a tax appraisal of $350,700 at the time. It is now appraised at $1,127,470 for tax purposes."

The public tours are also an open house of sorts. Eventually, a Magnolia representative says, the castle will be made available for purchase. Tour attendees will get to see the home staged exactly how it will be shown on the show this fall, the website says.

Tour tickets are $50 per person (kids age 7 and younger are free), with 20 percent of proceeds benefiting The Cove nonprofit organization; they're on sale now. (Note that home does not have an elevator and requires guests’ ability to access three staircases, they say.)

For more information and tickets, visit the website.

Jo and Chip in front of a Caen stone fireplace in the Cottonland Castle.

Facebook/Magnolia Network

Jo and Chip in front of a Caen stone fireplace in the Cottonland Castle.

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Hotel News

Chic hotel with fire station and famed chef to open in Fort Worth

Courtesy

The Nobleman Hotel a Tapestry Collection by Hilton

A hotel centered around a historic Fort Worth building is coming to the Near Southside neighborhood: Called The Nobleman Hotel, it's a Tapestry Collection by Hilton concept, opening at 503 Bryan Ave. in the Magnolia Avenue-area of Fort Worth.

According to a release, it'll open in early 2025.

The development is anchored by the No. 5 Fire Station, a landmark building from 1911 that was home to many noble Fort Worth firefighters, thus the name of the hotel.

Developed by Jeff Blackman of Bedford Lodging, the property wraps a collection of 153 guest rooms and suites — including 121 guest rooms and 32 extended stay suites with kitchenettes — around the original 1911 building.

The release notes that each brick is a remembrance of the firefighters who protected Fort Worth, including halting the great South Side fire from reducing the city to ashes.

The Nobleman Hotel Tapestry The Nobleman Hotel, Tapestry Collection by HiltonCourtesy

The restored fire station serves as the heart of the hotel, housing guest check-in, communal areas, game spaces, and a new chef-driven restaurant called Duchess.

Amenities include a pool, fitness center, 1,500 square feet of meeting and outdoor event space.

“The Nobleman will be a stylish and approachable addition to the Near Southside neighborhood,” says Blackman in a statement. “We want to be a destination for the weekend traveler, for those visiting our renowned medical district, for business purposes, and definitely for our local residents — we want it to become the go-to neighborhood spot.”

Spacious communal areas, rooms, and restaurant are designed by Kathy Moran Clarson, founder and owner of KMC&A Design, a design firm that specializes in the interior design of hotels and resorts.

The hotel's entry in the 1911 building is enhanced by a revitalized staircase that includes the actual fireman’s pole. A lobby features restored white tiled walls, brass accents, and concrete floors. Outdoor spaces are outfitted with fireplaces and green landscaping as well as activity spaces.

The Nobleman Hotel Tapestry Original fire stationCourtesy

Dining
The in-house restaurant Duchess will be located in the fire station building at street level — setting the tone of the property with an energetic and lively atmosphere.

The cuisine will be New American with a Texas influence, with a menu conceived by a name known nationally as well as in Dallas-Fort Worth: Casey Thompson, who worked at The Mansion on Turtle Creek before rocketing to fame when she appeared as a contestant on Top Chef. In 2010, she helped launch Brownstone, a restaurant in Fort Worth's West 7th district where she served as a consulting chef for a year.

Thompson is concepting the menu at Duchess and will help recruit an executive chef, still to be named. Dishes named so far include Texas burrata, snapper crudo, brined roasted hen, red snapper, and a center-cut filet.

"Duchess will create a unique destination within the neighborhood, welcoming both hotel guests and locals alike," says Blackman. "Our property is designed to offer a heightened hospitality and a delicious culinary experience that will stand out in the city’s competitive market."

The team working on the project includes the Dallas-based agency Ashlar Projects, creating the hotel branding, and Kansas-based Crossland Construction, providing construction services.

With public spaces fostering community engagement, Duchess, and guest rooms providing a comfortable respite, the hotel is set to become a preferred destination for leisure and business travelers, as well as medical district visitors and employees.

Bedford Lodging was founded in 2013 by owner and president Jeff Blackman, who has more than 25 years of hospitality expertise in all aspects of the hotel business and is affiliated with the development of more than 150 properties. Bedford Lodging has developed 10 hotels and acquired four since inception, many in Colorado including The Hoffman Hotel in Basalt, SpringHill Suites in Lakewood, Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott in Lakewood, and the AC Hotel in Frisco (Colorado not Texas), as well as The Waters Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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