November 01, 2024
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Auction of ‘castle’ near Harvard moved to December; suggested opening bid at $6M

Sale delayed to give potential buyers more time to look at property

By Janelle Walker
The home of Henri and June Giugni on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, outside Harvard. The couple plans to sell the English style manor house and build a smaller, one-level home nearby.

The home of Henri and June Giugni on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, outside Harvard. The couple plans to sell the English style manor house and build a smaller, one-level home nearby. (Janelle Walker)

If you’ve had your eye on a property outside of Harvard that was set to go to auction Oct. 29, you have a little more time to make up your mind.

Plans to auction off Henri and June Giugni’s English manor-style house – known as the “castle” to those in the area – were delayed due to potential buyer interest just before it was set for the auction block, according to Rick Levin of auctioneer Rick Levin & Associates Inc.

Built by the Giugni’s between 1999 and 2005, the 8,770-square-foot, seven bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home comes with 52 landscaped acres. The Giugni’s plan to build a smaller house across the manmade lake.

“It doesn’t happen a lot, but when you are selling a complicated, higher-price property ... you get inquiries right before the auction deadline,” Levin said. Those interested parties said it “was a shame the auction was in a couple of days” which wouldn’t give them time to do due diligence, he said.

Henri Giugni offered a tour of the property outside Harvard on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. The columns were not used on the house so were instead set across the lake. They are lighted at night and can be seen from the great room's windows.

Henri Giugni offered a tour of the property outside Harvard on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. The columns were not used on the house so were instead set across the lake. They are lighted at night and can be seen from the great room's windows. (Janelle Walker)

So, the auction has been pushed back to Dec. 19. Additional photos of the palatial home’s interior are available online at ricklevin.com. The suggested opening bid is $6 million and replacement value of the home at 17519 Lincoln Road is $15.5 million, Levin said.

After 45 days of marketing the property, prospective buyers “said to me they wish they had more time” to consider the purchase, Levin said.

Buying the house would be “the ultimate holiday gift, much better than a Starbucks gift card,” Levin joked.

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