For over 47 years, Peter and Toni Ann Wing have poured their hearts into transforming their family land in the Hudson Valley into a stunning castle. Image Credits: Instagram @Wingscastle
When Peter and Toni Ann Wing began building their dream home in New York’s Hudson Valley in 1971, they did not have a conventional house plan, a large construction budget or professional experience in building castles. What they had was a piece of family land, plenty of imagination and a willingness to use whatever materials they could find.
What began as a project the young couple expected to complete in about two years gradually became a 47-year undertaking, according to the Hudson Valley Post. Both were 23 when construction began, according to Architectural Digest. This other construction would take him another 22 years. Finally, the bed-and-breakfast facility would open its doors to visitors in 2014. Peter died in a car accident in 2014, shortly after the bed-and-breakfast opened.
Over the following decades, the Wings built a stone-and-timber castle using reclaimed materials, including pieces from old barns and other structures around the Hudson Valley. The castle eventually became both their family home and a bed-and-breakfast. The property in Millbrook, Dutchess County, had been part of the Wing family farm. Peter had grown up nearby, and the site eventually became the setting for the castle he had promised to build for Toni. The original idea was much simpler than what eventually stood on the hill. As time passed, the castle became more elaborate. Towers, stone walls, wooden beams, maze-like passageways and other unusual details made the place feel like a hand-built fantasy rather than an ordinary house. It also became part of the family’s routine: while Toni cared for the children, Peter kept building and working on his art and design. By the 1980s, the strange structure had generated so much interest within the local community that the family began offering tours of it. However, Peter was not done yet. After finishing the initial structure, he began building another one to house guests. Toni and their son Charles were the custodians of the place after this. The castle continues to operate as a bed-and-breakfast where visitors can stay and take tours. The walls still contain remnants of the materials Peter and Toni gathered over the years, and the rooms still serve the purpose the project began with: making a home.
Today, Wing’s Castle stands as a reminder of one family’s tenacity rather than a traditional historical building.
