Castle Mont Rouge

Castle Mont Rouge is a castle located on Red Mountain in Rougemont, North Carolina, north of Durham.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The castle was designed by American sculptor Robert Mihaly, known for his work at Duke University and the National Cathedral, as a private residence and country studio.[9] The design was based on architecture from Central and Eastern Europe, complete with 18 pinnacles and a turret.[10][8]

Castle Mont Rouge
The castle in 2009
General information
Status	Under construction
Address	957 Mountain Brook Rd Rougemont, North Carolina, 27572
Town or city	Rougemont, North Carolina
Country	United States
Coordinates	36.23958°N 78.91303°W / 36.23958; -78.91303
Named for	Red Mountain
Groundbreaking	2000
Design and construction
Architect	Robert Mihaly

Robert Mihaly began construction of Castle Mont Rouge without a blueprint in the year 2000.[11][4][12][13] He lived in one of the finished rooms and was joined by long-time partner, Caroline Smith, whom he met in 2003 and who described living there as "whimsical fun, enigmatic, and romantic".[4][5][6][7]

The castle was abandoned in 2006,[6] although a fundraising campaign featuring Mihaly's two children was launched to fund renovating it in 2014. The castle was still abandoned as of 2016.[14][15][16][17] Mihaly began restoring the castle in 2017, citing his desire to finish it while his children are still children.[8][4][5][7]

The castle has been cited as a Disney-like fairytale castle,[18][19] an abandoned or deserted castle,[20] a haunted American castle,[21][22][23] a quirky North Carolina destination,[24] and the most bizarre building in North Carolina.[25]

Much rumor and lore has been built around Castle Mont Rouge and its creator, Robert Mihaly.[4][5][6][7][26] Mihaly referenced the rumor about the death of his wife in a televised news story, acknowledging that he is not a widower.[4][5][7]