Castle Confidential

SLAH goes inside one of Ballston Lake's most mysterious properties (pictures included!) and asks its owner the question on every local's mind: Where's the moat?!

The exterior of 229 Lake Road, a.k.a. the Ballston Lake castle.

If you’ve lived in Saratoga in the last 20 years or so, you’ve probably dreamed of getting a look inside Palazzo Riggi, the 19,000-square-foot mansion boasting a bowling alley, pet playroom and movie theater on North Broadway. Curious Saratogians actually did get a glimpse of the extravagant property when it was listed for sale (for a whopping $17.9 million) on September 1—photos of its interior spread across newsfeeds both locally and nationally—and again when it returned to market in December after billionaire entrepreneur Adam Weitsman backed out of the purchase.

Now it may not be worth nearly $18 million or have marble floors and a pool house, but there’s a property in nearby Ballston Lake that’s almost as infamous amongst those who pass by it regularly. Known by locals simply as “the castle,” 299 Lake Road has become a fixture of the drive to exit 12 for its imposing medieval façade and visibility from the road. “We drove that road to and from our house in Schenectady to our camp on Saratoga Lake,” says Sam Hartz, who now lives on Saratoga Lake. “We always wondered if there was a moat or dungeon below.” I also happen to hail from Ballston Lake, and shared the same curiosity about the castle, which I remember being built in 2007. That is, until I got invited there.