n 1972, the artist left college for Italy after receiving a fellowship in painting. He did some traveling and was particularly taken by the Bavarian castles of King Ludwig. He returned home determined to build his own castle. Construction began in 1976 and continued for 20 years. He spent four months out of each summer building the castle home & studio. The stones were quarried on the property (some as long as twelve feet). Oak trees were cut from the woods for cabinetry and moldings. Collapsing barns were used for their hand-hewn beams and planking. The artist made stained-glass windows, wrought iron hardware, custom floor tiles, furnishings, and more.

After the second year of construction on the castle, artist Thom Breitenbach held a party and met his future wife Debra there, after someone brought her to the event. Exactly one year to the day, Thom and Debra were married in the woods by the castle on a stone heart they both built. They have been happily married for over 35 years.

The artist continues to detail and add to the castle (most recently the garage and gatehouse towers). He intends for it to be a future museum for his artwork.