Castle-like home in Magnolia has turret library

This Magnolia home, built in 1947, looks like a piece of a fantasy epic, with its gray brickwork, parapet-edged railings and fences, gargoyles—and of course, a prominent front turret.

In lieu of a front porch, a portico takes up the bottom floor of the turret. Slim windows, a peaked entryway, and recessed shelves are ornate touches, setting the stage for the rest of the home.

Windermere

Inside, the home is elaborately designed, with murals on the ceilings and even some of the walls. A stone alcove in the dining room currently serves as a bar—because in a house like this, you have to have parties.

The second floor of the turret contains a library. A bench seat sits in the window-lined curve of the turret, with a balcony right next door for taking your reading into the sunshine.

Windermere

If the second floor interiors seem more modern than downstairs, it’s because they are; a remodel added the top floor in 1999. Other modern conveniences include a sound system wired throughout the entire house, including the backyard and the balcony.

Multiple fireplaces connect to a three-pronged stone chimney that twists together on one side of the house. Chandeliers pepper the inside of the house, even in a bathroom.

Outside, the gardens continue the castle theme by looking like something out of a storybook. A pond and waterfall sits next to a wooden door lined by ornate stone walls covered in ivy, while a path off to the side of the house leads to a high, stone wall with an iron gate.

Windermere

It costs $2.3 million for this gothic-inspired palace.

• Magnolia area residential [Windermere]
• 3000 42nd Ave W [Estately]