Thanks for the 411 on the watery maze. That’s just pretty freakin’ cool. Good to know we didn’t manage to annihilate something that’s been around since before the dinosaurs. The Gods know we can’t even manage to keep good taste from near extinction, and that should be a whole lot easier to keep intact. :D

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/endangered-crocs-make-a-comeback/

Now though… I suppose gutting it is mandatory. You might be able to make something out of the shell, except… why would you want to? Sure, it’s pretty cool. But it’s also smack between a light industrial/warehouse area (one place has giant pre-made concrete sewer junction boxes ready to deliver) and what looks to be a tractor-trailer graveyard. There are a few houses to one side, but none look much bigger than a 2-car garage, let alone include one. Considering there would need to be multiple zoning changes to make it a “neighborhood” worth living in, I’m not gonna hold my breath. Like the sign blocking the entrance says, “Keep Out.” Works for me.

I hope they (continue to) preserve what stands of the castle.

This was built back when Homestead was an actual howling wilderness being settled by actual homesteaders; folks built stuff like this back then, if they had the means. From search gleanings, I conjecture that the family have held this parcel ever since, and that the well-beloved patriarch born not long after the family settled there has lately passed… no doubt having endured, like the old home’s walls, far more experiences than any roof may ever weather. Actual native-born Floridians are a rare breed.