Chip and Joanna Gaines have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, the Waco landmark they spent years restoring for cameras, though the final sale price has not been confirmed. The 6,176-square-foot, four-bedroom property in the city’s Castle Heights neighborhood was listed for $2,699,000 in June, and the deal includes all of the home’s furnishings, accessories and decor.
According to realtor.com, the Gaineses have simply found a buyer for the estate, with the final sale price unconfirmed. The listing, handled by Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, describes the 136-year-old castle as boasting four bedrooms and 3.5 spa-like bathrooms. Built in 1890, the property had sat neglected and abandoned before the couple purchased it in 2019 for a listing price of $425,000.
From Abandoned Landmark to Fixer Upper Star
Cottonland Castle has been a fixture of Waco long before it became a television backdrop. Waco History notes that Austin Avenue Methodist Church sold the home to Jack Schwan in 1969 for $50,000, and the Schwan family later made repairs and renovations before attempting to sell the castle in 1982, when they believed it was worth close to $1.25 million. The home has long stood as, in Waco History’s words, “a striking hallmark of the Castle Heights neighborhood.”
The Gaineses finished renovating the castle in summer 2022, according to Waco History. That restoration transformed a structure that had fallen into disrepair into the polished estate now on the market — complete, per the listing, with furnishings, accessories and decor that have been “thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design” and are included in the purchase.
A Rocky Path to a Sale
Selling the castle hasn’t been simple. The property was first offered at auction in 2023, but it failed to sell, the outlet’s report notes. A buyer has now emerged after that unsuccessful attempt, and with the Gaineses’ other Waco holdings — the $1.7 million Hillcrest Estate and the $935,000 Gristmill — still sitting on the market.
Cottonland Castle, listed for $2.7 million, is a singular listing. Waco’s reputation for architectural history runs deeper than one renovated estate: the Texas State Historical Association notes that Kenneth Hafertepe’s book on historic homes of Waco profiles 120 such properties across the city, some of which have appeared on the television series centered on Waco-area fixer-uppers.
For now, the fate of Cottonland Castle rests with a buyer whose identity and offer price remain unconfirmed. What is clear is that a home once left to decay, then rescued and rebuilt on camera, has once again found a buyer in a city where old houses keep finding new chapters.
