A four-story limestone castle built in 1894 for a U.S. diplomat is back on the San Antonio real estate market, and this time the asking price runs into the millions. Lambermont, the nine-bedroom estate at 950 E. Grayson St. in the Government Hill neighborhood, has spent more than a decade as one of the city's best-known wedding venues, and its longtime owners are now looking to hand it off to a new steward.
The castle was commissioned by Edwin Holland Terrell, who served as U.S. Minister and later Ambassador to Belgium in the early 1890s under President Benjamin Harrison. According to Lambermont Events, Terrell drew architectural inspiration from European castles during his diplomatic posting and commissioned architect Alfred Giles in 1894 to build the estate for his family. Terrell named the property Lambermont in honor of Belgian diplomat and statesman Baron Auguste Lambermont, with whom he had worked overseas, the venue's own history page notes.
Even the stone has a local backstory. As reported by Texas Public Radio, the native limestone blocks used to build the castle came from a quarry roughly a mile away that was later redeveloped into the San Antonio Zoo.
Nine Bedrooms, Nine Fireplaces, and a Century of History
Per mySA, the 1894 main residence spans 11,488 square feet and contains nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms and nine original fireplaces, along with a library, music room and parlor. The primary suite includes its own balcony and living room. A separate guest house adds another 2,464 square feet, and the whole estate sits on just over an acre of gated grounds with parking for 15 cars, according to commercial listing specifications reviewed by Movoto.$$0The property's most recent renovation was completed in 2012, mySA reports, and the outlet notes Lambermont has a history of hosting presidents, dignitaries and prominent guests over the decades.
Current owners Pat and Dona Liston bought the property in July 2008 for $825,000, according to Lambermont Events' own account, before completing a full restoration and opening it as an event space. The estate had briefly hit the market before, listed in October 2020 for $7,000,000 before being pulled off in May 2021, per real estate listing archives on Movoto. This time, listing agent Evan Rayborn of the Rise San Antonio Group tells mySA the property has already been on the market for about a year and carries a listing price in the millions, though he was not authorized to disclose the exact figure. “Opportunities to own an estate of Lambermont's caliber are exceedingly rare,” Rayborn said, per mySA.
An Angel Grows From a Fallen Oak
The castle's grounds carry their own piece of local lore. A 70-foot red oak tree planted on the front lawn in the late 1800s partially collapsed in September 2021, and rather than remove it, owner Dona Liston commissioned a chainsaw artist to carve the remaining trunk into an angel sculpture, Texas Public Radio reports. The carved angel still stands facing East Grayson Street today.
Zoning Opens the Door to Hotels, Clubs, or a Private Home
Lambermont's C-2 S zoning gives a future owner considerable flexibility. Rayborn told mySA the zoning makes the estate suitable for a boutique hotel, high-end event venue, private club, corporate retreat or luxury residence. He also said the property could qualify for preservation grants and tax incentives, according to mySA's report. Separately, a listing video shared to Facebook notes the property sits within both a historic district and a federal Opportunity Zone, which could make prospective buyers eligible for local historic property tax abatements as well as federal investment tax incentives.
Lambermont Events continues to operate as a luxury event venue and boutique lodging property, and staff will keep managing bookings through the end of 2026, per its website. That same source indicates a new owner could be fulfilling contracts booked into 2027, meaning the castle's wedding-venue business may not end the moment a sale closes.
A Neighborhood Transformed Around the Castle
Lambermont sits within walking distance of the Pearl District and Broadway corridor, mySA notes, placing the historic estate at the edge of one of San Antonio's most active redevelopment zones. Government Hill itself, the neighborhood surrounding Fort Sam Houston, received official historic district designation from the City of San Antonio in 2002, according to Tami Price REALTOR. That same source points to significant recent economic revitalization along East Grayson Street, including major mixed-use developments, new craft breweries, and residential projects like the 281-unit Grayson Heights complex.
Whether the next owner keeps Lambermont running as a wedding and event destination or repurposes the castle for a hotel, club, or private residence remains an open question. For now, interested buyers can reach Evan Rayborn directly at [email protected] or 210-878-5090, as listed in mySA's coverage of the sale.
