935 Shawnee Road, Kansas City, Kansas 66103

FOR SALE $10,000,000

So, where do we begin to tell the tale of Sauer Castle? Do we begin in the present with an empty house deemed uninhabitable by the city government that is on the market for $10,000,000 (yes, that’s million)?

Do we start at the beginning — in 1871, when the house was built for Anton Sauer, an immigrant from Germany who settled in Kansas City in 1868?

Or do we begin with tragedy? Ah, yes. I think that’s where we begin.

In 1930, the husband of one of Sauer’s daughters committed suicide in the house. He was an older gentleman with ailing health, and it seems he wanted to end his suffering. Not long after, stories about the home’s spectral inhabitants started circulating about town.

At one time, there was an in-ground pool at the house. In 1940, two-year-old Cecilia Perkins, the great-granddaughter of Anton Sauer, drowned in the pool. Her father was so distraught he filled the pool in by hand.

Many tall tales have been told about the house through the years from a phantom couple seen dancing in the tower on Halloween night to bodies buried in the backyard.

By the 1960s, Sauer Castle had gained a reputation and trespassing on the property was a fun weekend activity for teenagers. There were several incidents where the homeowner, Paul Berry, brandished a revolver and/or opened fire on teens trying to take a peek at his property.

Orbs have been seen around the tower and on the roof. A paranormal investigation completed in the 1980s found ghostly activity concentrated in the attic. Another investigation found nothing.

Sauer descendants owned the home until the late 1950s or early 1960s when it was sold to Paul Berry. He lived there until his death in 1986. The home was then purchased by a father-son duo who tried to turn the house into a bed and breakfast but were unsuccessful. Then, Carl Lopp, the current owner and descendant of the Sauer family, bought the home in 1988 with intention of restoring it to its former beauty. Instead, the home has fallen further and further into decay.

The original plot was anywhere from sixty-three to two hundred acres. The total varies depending on who is telling the story. Only a little under three acres remain with the home today. A tall chain link fence surrounds the property to keep out trespassers.

The local county government has tried to no avail to require the current homeowner to make appropriate repairs to the house or tear it down. No one seems to know what his intentions are with the property. On the market for $10,000,000, we can only speculate . . . or should that be specter-late.

In its current state of decay and with no clear plans for restoration, it seems the ghost might be the house itself which is only a hazy image of what it once was.

Property Type: Single family

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2

Square Foot: 3,856

Lot: 2.91 acres

Year Built: 1871/72

Price per Square Foot: $2,593

Other Interesting Details: This building is a serious fixer-upper. Vandals and the trespasser-type like to sneak into the house to do whatever that type likes to do.

Contact Haley Epps with Compass Realty Group to schedule a visit.

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