You can own this white castle, with White Castle’s help

Fast food aficionados and Beastie Boys fans rejoice.

A diner in the design of a castle — which could have been modeled after an actual White Castle restaurant  — can be yours for free, provided you’re willing to move the building from its current location in Douglass, Kansas, NBC Chicago reported. The kicker: White Castle may be willing to pitch in, under certain conditions.

The pre-fab building was constructed by Wichita-based Ablah Hotel Supply in the mid-1930s, and is believed to have been either a Little Palace Lunch No. 1 or the Continental Grill No. 2 in East Douglas, according to its listing on cheapoldhouses.com. 

The steel-framed, 20-foot-by-20-foot structure was moved to its current location via a crane, the outlet reported.

“This is the only definite Ablah Hotel Supply castle-shaped diner survivor and is in remarkable shape,” the listing says. “It’s an important building both from an architectural and a roadside Americana standpoint.”

The property had generated some interest when it was originally listed in 2019, but the pandemic struck, shutting down any potential deal, owner Ada Sutherland told NBC Chicago.

Expenses and logistics will make it difficult to move the diner/castle from its current location, the outlet reported.

Enter White Castle, the steamed-burger chain, which said it’s possible the diner was modeled after early White Castles that began in the early 1920s.

The chain, in a statement, said it is willing to help pay for at least some of the relocation fees if the building is transformed into a museum or if its new owner is looking to preserve it.

“As the ones to start it all 102 years ago, our family business would like to do our part to preserve this history and source of good memories,” Jamie Richardson, a White Castle executive, said, according to NBC Chicago.
Sutherland told NBC Chicago she has received inquiries from all over the U.S., including “restaurant and bar owners, preservationists, hobbyists, historians, artist co-ops, CEOs, HGTV stars, and everything you can imagine in between.”
“The excitement people have is wild. We’re just happy to be a part of this diner’s next chapter,” Sutherland said.

Commenters on Cheap Old Houses’’ Instagram account expressed their excitement about the listing, even if they weren’t willing to commit to taking the building for themselves.

“I’ve always wanted a castle and this might be my only chance,” one person said.

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen put it in my back yard!!” said another.