‘Like you’re pulling up to Disneyland:’ Castle on hill near Modesto CA lists for $2.9M
An enchanting and notable castle house sitting at the top of a hill on 40 acres in Oakdale, California, with panoramic views of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada has hit the market for $2.89 million.
From the outside, the mansion looks like it belongs on Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. Known as Castle Oaks Ranch, the house has stood like a beacon to residents for years.
“It’s always been a landmark in Oakdale,” listing agent Cydney Hawkins of HomeSmart PV & Associates said. “People, when they’re explaining where they are on Rodden Road (say), ‘Are you before or after the castle?’ Everyone knows where the castle is. Kids literally will want their parents to drive them by just so they can see the castle.”
The seller is Marjory Hillier, who was married to Tom Hillier. Tom Hillier, who owned Hillier Ford in Escalon, died in 2016. The Hilliers have owned the property for 28 years.
The charm of the residence begins at the private automatic gate and continues up a long, pristine, hedge-lined driveway to an enormous horse statue standing in the middle of a motor court. The grounds are meticulously accented with beautiful plum trees, green hedges, floral landscaping and ponds. There are 360° views of rolling hills.
The allure carries through into the interior of the 3,381-square-foot home. Behind a sturdy wooden front door lies an elegant foyer with an exquisite wet bar and a regal, iron spiral staircase. The dramatic stairs lead up to the second floor and a mezzanine.
A second spiral staircase goes farther up, to the open-air observation tower on the third level, where the Fourth of July fireworks show at Woodward Reservoir Regional Park can be seen. The lookout used to have a hot tub and is still set up for one, Hawkins said.
The home, built in 1987, has three bedrooms and four bathrooms.
“You feel like you’re pulling up to Disneyland when you go through the gate,” Hawkins said. “You come up the steep hill that’s perfectly manicured. There’s never a bush out of place. And inside, I think the staircase is really cool. It gives you that castle feel, although it’s very homey. The staircase brings that out.”
There’s plenty of parking around the home, including a detached six-car garage behind the main residence.
Other features of the home include travertine flooring, tray ceilings, updated farmhouse kitchen, formal dining room with glass French doors and light-wood built-ins, library and wine cellar. A red brick hearth and wood-burning fireplace punctuate the open living room off the entry.
A full junior suite occupies part of the first level. The primary suite, with a soaking tub in front of a panel of mirrors, is found on the second floor, and another junior suite is down the hallway from there.
Equestrian facilities include four stables
The property has tidy equestrian facilities, including a barn containing four stables. Marjory still cares for one horse, and the Hilliers once owned several.
There’s plenty of land and water for cattle grazing, too. Eight acres in the front pasture are irrigated by Oakdale Irrigation District for year-round water supply. The estate has a Temple Grandin corral system, as well.
A modular home was built on the property that could be a caretaker’s residence or a rental unit. Since the utilities and plumbing already exist on that home site, it could be torn down to make room for a new second residence.
The home is the highest-priced residential listing of its kind in Stanislaus County, according to the Property Shark real estate data base. A property in Patterson is listed at $5.3 million, but the lot size is much larger — 5,733 acres.
Whatever the next chapter brings for the iconic property, Marjory Hillier’s home has entertained many people over the years.
“Many, many a time little girls have written her (and) she’s held tea parties for little girls who wanted to see the castle,” Hawkins said. “It’s (a) fairy tale. She’s got it set up very pristine (with) all of her little horse statues. It’s a really cool property.”
