The Story of Sauer Castle (1873)

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Sauer Castle, located at 935 Shawnee Road in Kansas City, Kansas, is one of the region’s most recognized examples of Italianate architecture and one of the most historically significant residences in the city.

Construction began around 1871 and was completed in 1873 as the home of German immigrant Anton Sauer and his family. The house was designed by Asa Beebe Cross, a leading Kansas City architect known for his work in prominent 19th-century architectural styles.

Anton Sauer was born in Essen, Germany, in 1826. After an unsuccessful venture in Australia, he moved to New York City, where he married Francesca and had five children. Following her death in 1868 and his own health concerns, Sauer moved west with his family. He arrived in Kansas City in the late 1860s and established several businesses, including a grocery company, a tannery, a seed importing firm, and an overland freight operation. He also served as president of the German Savings Association.

In 1868, Sauer married Mary (Maria) Einhellig Messerschmidt, a widow with two daughters. Together, they had five more children, four of whom survived to adulthood. Seeking a home that reminded him of his native Rhine River region, Sauer purchased a 63-acre property on a bluff overlooking the Kansas River Valley. He commissioned a grand estate on the site, complete with outbuildings such as a greenhouse, wine cellar, smokehouse, carriage house, and stables. The grounds included vineyards, rock terraces, and a large fountain.

The house, commonly referred to as Sauer Castle, features hallmark elements of the Italianate Villa style. The structure is two-and-a-half stories tall, with a prominent four-story tower, segmental arched windows, ornate stone detailing, and multiple verandas.

Inside, the home originally included imported marble fireplaces, carved walnut doors, lace curtains from France, and crystal chandeliers. A four-story staircase extended from the basement to the third floor. Sauer Castle also had an advanced plumbing system for its time, with water pumped from nearby springs to various parts of the house.

Anton Sauer died in 1879 in the second-floor master bedroom. Mary Sauer remained in the home until her death in 1919. Over the next several decades, the property was gradually divided and sold, with much of the land becoming the surrounding residential areas of Sauer Highlands and Kinney Heights. Members of the Sauer family continued to live in the home until 1950.

In the years that followed, the house changed ownership several times. It fell into disrepair and became the subject of numerous ghost stories and rumors, contributing to vandalism and trespassing. Despite these challenges, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and the Kansas Register of Historic Places that same year. In 1989, Anton Sauer’s great-great-grandson purchased the property with the goal of preserving it, although restoration efforts proceeded slowly and ultimately stalled.

In 2023, the property was purchased again, this time by a restoration-focused buyer who brought in specialists to stabilize the structure and begin historic preservation, with the goal of transforming it into an event venue.

​See more photos of Sauer Castle here.​

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This Week's Featured Home

800 W 52nd St, Kansas City, MO 64112​
Built in 1906 · $4,950,000
Listing/Photos Courtesy - Cory Ward, Compass Realty Group

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ps: July 30, 1955: the Bomb Pop was invented in Kansas City by a local food company.