SAN ANTONIO – Nestled in Government Hill, between Fort Sam Houston and the Pearl District, one building seems to tower above the rest.
KSAT received an inside look at the Lamberton, a historic mansion built to resemble a castle that has seen everything from professional baseball players to Belgian diplomats.
The property was built in 1894 and comes complete with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms and an arsenal of turrets.
According to data from Zillow, the home was last listed for $7 million in 2020.
The mansion was built for Edwin Holland Terrell, a San Antonio businessman, Republican party official and United States diplomat.
From 1889 to 1893, Terrell lived in Europe, serving as the U.S. ambassador to Belgium. While there, he fell in love with the architecture of European castles.
Terrell originally married Mary Maverick, the granddaughter of former San Antonio Mayor Samuel Maverick. However, after six kids and 16 years of marriage, Maverick died while in Brussels.
He would go on to meet his second wife, Lois Lasater, in Belgium. Upon returning to San Antonio, Terrell said that he wanted to build a “castle for his bride.”
Terrell commissioned British architect Alfred Giles to build the home using limestone from the same quarry that was used to build Fort Sam Houston and the Alamo.
The result was his manor named “Lambermont” after an associate in Belgium, Baron Augusta Lambermont.
Following Terrell’s death in 1910, the mansion has changed hands many different times.
From a single-family home to a boarding school and apartments, the Lambermont has often evolved alongside the city’s needs.
In July 2008, owners Pat and Dona Liston purchased the 9,089-square-foot property and spent three years attempting to restore it to its original glory.
“I am very proud of being able to be the steward of this home,” Liston said. “It was certainly not in the best position when we bought it. To be able to come back in and preserve things, I’m just really proud of being able to do that.”
For the last 15 years, the Lambermont has been used as a wedding venue, event space and luxury vacation rental.
As a professional wedding planner, Dona Liston has helped hundreds of couples get married at the historic site. She said even some professional baseball players have said “I do” at the mansion.
Over the years, she said she has made close connections with the neighborhood and the nearby church. The relationship she said she is most proud of is the one she has made with her business partner and daughter, Erica Maynard.
Now, after over a decade of memories, Dona said it is time for her and her husband to return home to the Rio Grande Valley to take care of their aging mothers.
“It’s bittersweet,” Dona Liston said. “We’re going home, and I’ll semi-retire, but San Antonio’s still in my heart.”
As for what’s next, Dona Liston said she hopes that whoever purchases the home will give it the same love and care as her family has.
“I just hope that whoever comes in loves it as much as we do,” Dona Liston told KSAT.
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