The Castle Tea Room has gone from being the large, elaborate home of a prosperous merchant to a Lawrence landmark. It is now operated by the board of a non-profit foundation whose mission is to maintain the physical structure while keeping it available to the public and telling its story.
Lindsay Ibarra, executive director of the Castle Tea Room, outlined the history of the building for Lawrence Central Rotarians. The story began with wealthy merchant John Roberts who came to Lawrence several years after the end of the Civil War and built the castle in 1894 at what is now 13th and Massachusetts. Roberts utilized the services of well-known architect John Haskell and English artist Sidney Endacott to create a building with museum quality interiors and the most modern conveniences of the era.
After a series of owners, the Castle was sold in 1947 to Libuse (Libby) Kriz-Fiorito who operated a restaurant in the Castle for over 50 years. In addition to providing warm hospitality, the Castle gave Libby a way to give aid, comfort and employment to KU students for many years. She made arrangements to place her assets into a foundation to preserve the property after her death in 2004.
The Libby Kriz-Fiorito Foundation, operating with a five-person board, closed the historic building for renovation in 2005 and reopened it in 2009. It is now a non-profit facility available for tours and all kinds of events including weddings, receptions, fund raisers and private parties.
“Our challenge now,” Ibarra said, “is to increase public awareness of the Castle, to re-establish its availability, and to continue telling its story.”
