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Entrepreneurs Jane and Larry Hendricks of the former Boyles Furniture company began building their dream home in 2003.
After six years and more than $22 million, construction of their castle was completed in 2009. But they lived there only briefly. The couple's situation changed when the furniture store filed for bankruptcy.Chateau Lyon, as it is known, is tucked down Langtree Road off Interstate 77 Exit 31 in Mooresville's gated community Alexander Island. It is owned by Branch Banking and Trust Co. and is listed by Lake Norman Realty Luxury for $8 million.This home was a replica of Marie Antoinette's summer home, called the Petit Trianon of the Palace of Versailles.This fall, Lake Norman Realty offered guests a chance to view the home, which was inspired by the Hendrickses' European travels. Agents gave tours of the home; some agents had tablet computers that accessed Chateau Lyon's Crestron network, part of the "smart home" feature.The network allows the lights, televisions, thermostats, music, security system, garage and several other features to be controlled from throughout the home.The real estate agents' task is to find the perfect buyer for a home full of breathtaking antiques and lavish details. Chateau Lyon's dining room was designed around 13 1/2-foot antique paneling from an early 20th-century home in Lyon, France.The home is named from the city from which the antique paneling came.Chateau Lyon's grand foyer features a limestone fountain hand-carved in France. The half-bath to the right of the foyer has a sink that was converted from a black marble fountain found in Paris.The home has 8,700 square feet, five bedrooms, six full baths and three half-baths. Among other rooms, Chateau Lyon also has a library, a conservatory and a media room with extra sleeping for four.Its exterior walls are 20 inches thick and covered with French limestone. The roof is covered with 250-year-old tiles covered in zinc-coated copper. Copper is featured in one of the upstairs bathrooms: It has a solid copper tub, quoted at $65,000.No castle would be complete without a hidden room. Chateau Lyon's library has a hidden door in one of the bookcases that conceals a half-bath.The showcase piece of the kitchen is the brass-and-copper range and electric oven. Each drawer in the kitchen features a hidden surprise: a refrigerator here, a warming drawer there. The kitchen has a brick pizza oven and rotisserie.The master bedroom is outfitted with a French antique marble fireplace and antique light fixtures, some covered in 22-karat gold.
