White Castle Wants To Help Save A Tiny Abandoned White Castle
They say everybody has a doppelganger. Someone who looks like you, but isn't you. Well, White Castle has one, too. You'll find it tucked away on a farm property in Kansas, which, coincidentally, is where the very first White Castle restaurant was built in 1921. At first glance, this old, small, white, lookalike structure resembles a house in some ways, but a business in others.
Guesses of what's inside this abandoned white castle may vary based on the Facebook photo alone, but one thing everyone can agree on is that its crenellation and turrets make it look like a White Castle restaurant. On the other hand, they can also agree that it's obviously not a White Castle restaurant. There's no drive-thru, parking lot, or concrete around it. Instead, bushes and trees surround the property.
The long-abandoned white castle came with the property that Ada and Robert Sutherland purchased in 2018, but the couple didn't know much about it at first. Now, the White Castle restaurant chain is considering stepping in to help preserve it.
The white castle was once a burger diner
The Wichita Eagle claims the small, castle-like structure was built in Wichita in the 1930s as a portable diner. It sits 20 feet wide, 20 feet long, and 15 feet tall. Inside, you'll find stools and a counter where burgers were once served. At one point, the previous owner of the Sutherlands' farmhouse, John Coultis, had the diner relocated from Wichita to his land in Butler County, where it now sits.
The Sutherlands listed the castle on Facebook Marketplace in 2019 for free because they were unable to devote the required time and energy to renovating it. They received an overwhelming response from interested buyers, and now White Castle is involved in the mix. "As the ones to start it all 102 years ago, our family business would like to do our part to preserve this history and source of good memories," a White Castle spokesperson said, quoting vice president Jamie Richardson (via The Wichita Eagle). This preservation would consist of helping to relocate the castle to a historical society or museum, not converting it into a White Castle restaurant.
Some people told the Sutherlands to keep the little white castle and convert it into a playhouse or a bar, but Ada said they would prefer it be returned to Wichita so other people can enjoy it and its history. Only time will tell what becomes of White Castle's doppelganger.