Feature: Redstone Castle

THE REDSTONE CASTLE

AN EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY TO OWN ONE OF COLORADO’S MOST STORIED MONUMENTS.

Redstone Castle has maintained a towering presence in Colorado history for more than a century. Over 150 gated acres surrounded by rising red cliffs, cascading waterfalls, 100-year-old pine trees and the sparkling Crystal River set the stage for the iconic manor house rising above the town of Redstone, the “Ruby of the Rockies.” No other private property today matches its enduring legacy, condition, acreage or access to Colorado high country. It is truly one of Colorado’s historic jewels.

Nestled about 15 miles from Carbondale and 48 miles from Aspen, the tiny hamlet of Redstone was developed by industrialist John Cleveland Osgood whose coal empire spurred the construction of the Crystal River Railroad and Redstone’s historic dwellings around the turn of the 20th century. Osgood, the cousin of former President Grover Cleveland, built Redstone Castle in 1902 for his second wife, Swedish Countess Alma Regina Shelgrem set about a mile off of the main entrance to Redstone.

Known then as “Cleveholm Manor,” the regal Tudor-style mansion included 42 rooms, servants’ quarters, a gamekeeper’s lodge, a carriage house, and a greenhouse. Osgood spared no expense for his country residence. The house had running water and electricity powered by steam, both considered rare luxury items for Colorado mining towns at that time. He employed Austrian stonemasons, Italian metal workers and other craftsman, and imported many luxury materials from Europe, in order to complete his palatial vision for the interiors.

To this day, Redstone Castle offers an extraordinary portrait of the West’s mining history and the opulent lifestyle of America’s elite at the turn of the century. The residence was a bastion of entertainment for America’s ruling class and a beloved hunting destination for America’s most powerful dignitaries of the day, including Teddy Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan and the Rockefellers who stayed at the house. In 1971, Redstone Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places, the first property in Pitkin County to be listed. Redstone Castle was fully restored in 2018 by its current owners and stewards, April and Steve Carver. With grand visions of returning the castle to its original glory and operating it as a boutique hotel, the Carvers took great care to preserve the 24,000 square-foot mansion, bringing it into the modern era with all new bathrooms, updated kitchen and infrastructure. They established a new sewage line to the town of Redstone. They collaborated with artisans, historic preservationists and architects to ensure that the historic nature of the rooms was left largely intact. They touched each room, preserving architectural details and upgrading bathrooms and the kitchen while maintaining the castle’s integrity. With mindful stewardship and strategic investment, Redstone Castle has been never been in such pristine condition as it is today.