Katiedid: Knight in Shining Armor

Rex Martin was in love with a girl named Caroline. They married in the late 60's and honeymooned in Europe, where they fell in love with the beautiful castles--particularly those that were German in style. Now Rex was a developer in Lexington, Ky., and he knew a thing or two about building. So he decided to design a castle for the love of his life. (Caroline later said she had wanted a house surrounded by 10-foot walls, and they just got a "little carried away.")

The Martins purchased about 60 acres near Keeneland, and construction began in 1969. Fast forward a few years, and inside the 12-foot walls, you've got a 10,400-square-foot, two-story home, complete with a huge library and swimming pool--as well as bedrooms, bathrooms and dining rooms galore. When finished, the structure would have 7 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, an Italian fountain in the driveway and tennis courts.

But the project may have been a bit too much, because by this time, a divorce was in the works. So the couple split, the castle remained unfinished, and Rex moved to Florida, supposedly due to a broken heart. No one ever called the castle "home." Rex declined all interview requests, and even though he put the castle up for sale, he would not return any calls or allow anyone to tour the castle.

So there it sat. Rotting away.

Rex grew older, moved back to Lexington, and developed Alzheimer's. He died in a local nursing home in 2003 at the age of 72. His family didn't want the castle, so they sold it to a Miami lawyer named Thomas Post for $1.8 million. Tom starting renovating and repairing the castle and planned to live in it for a year and then turn it into a tourist home for overnight guests.

But just a year later, the home was destroyed in a fire. The cause? Arson.

Since then, Tom has been rebuilding, and local planners approved his idea to use the home for overnight guests and charitable events. The planners stipulated that no restaurant ever be operated on the property, and all parking areas should be screened from view by trees or shrubs since the land is zoned for agricultural use.

So in the end, Rex Martin did not have the fairy-tale ending he had hoped for (though he did eventually remarry), but now Lexington residents will finally be able to experience and enjoy a Kentucky landmark that has been almost 40 years in the making.