At a glance, Solomon’s castle is a setting ripped from a medieval fairy tale. But this castle cannot be found in any storybook. It does not stand behind the gates of a royal palace but in the swamplands of Ona, 90 minutes south of Tampa. It was not created with stone but out of printing plates discarded from local newspapers. And its owner is not an omnipotent king but a builder and sculptor named Howard Solomon, who created a home that became his greatest masterpiece.

The tale of King Solomon
His castle includes towers, a lighthouse, a drawbridge, a dungeon and a moat. It has 16 bedrooms, five bathrooms and is decorated with more than 80 handmade stained-glass windows. Two knight statues guard its entrance.

“Aside from my kids, my greatest accomplishment in life is building the castle,” Solomon says.

His castle may be his most impressive feat, but Solomon is no stranger to eclectic craftsmanship. While living inside his castle, he sculpts, builds and designs breathtaking creations using unorthodox materials such as soda cans and wire hangers.

Solomon’s ability to create masterpieces out of scraps began as an accident and led to much bigger things than he had ever imagined.

Once upon a time, a craftsman was born
Solomon began crafting at age 4. He started by making simple wood carvings then moved to more intricate creations using whatever materials he could find, such as scrap metal, car parts or old toys.

Never a fan of school, Solomon dropped out when he was 17 years old because he was more fascinated in building construction. A year later, he tore off the back door of his parents' house and built a porch out of it, an impressive feat for someone without formal training. From that moment on, he knew he had found his life's calling.

“There is no doubt about it that I am gifted,” he says. “I was born a craftsman.”

For the past 30 years, Solomon has shifted focus from building construction to creating sculptures out of everyday materials. Because his work is so innovative, it has been housed in museum collections and galleries on six different continents in addition to making him a prosperous living. Some of his most recognizable creations are his safari animals of elephants and giraffes made from wire clothes hangers

“As a child you never knew what was going to find its way into Daddy's creations," his daughter, Alane Solomon, age 45, says. “It could be a doll or a roller skate. He never took anything without asking, though.”

Ye shall use scrap to build a castle
In January 1972, Solomon bought 90 acres of land and began building himself a palace that would take 10 years to complete.

“I bought the land because it was cheap and so am I,” Solomon says.

The swampy, uneven land of Ona was not conducive to a palace too large horizontally, so he built a three-story, 60-foot tall castle that reaches for the sun and sparkles so much that you must squint to see it. Contributing to this diamond-like shine are the old newspaper printing plates Solomon used to build it.

“I would go down to local newspaper presses and buy the old plates every week,” Solomon says. “I would buy 400 for 10 cents each.”

In 1983, he unveiled his completed castle to a few hundred people who arrived at his front door. That first year, the castle welcomed 2,000 visitors. Now more than 10,000 people visit the castle each year, Solomon says.

And there ye shall live, happily ever after
While touring the castle, visitors view a museum-like setup that screams Solomon's eclectic style. He showcases his own artwork, which include replicated works of Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch and Salvador Dali. The castle also features toy Ferris wheels, choo-choo trains, murals and masks all made from funky materials such as empty tuna and beer cans.

Solomon says he would love to sell the castle and anything else on the land. The castle has been on sale for the past 18 years for $3 million or for $6 million with the artwork included. However Solomon is not sure if it will ever sell. Although it may be hard to believe that he would want to sell his masterpiece, Solomon explains that he is getting too old to maintain his large creation.

“I am beyond retirement age,” Solomon says. “I just want to sit down and relax, but I will continue to sculpt and maybe do some more writing.”