Mr. Bill Blecha This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Castle Falls: History of an Oklahoma historic castle

   www.Castlefalls.com/Castlehist - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/25/2004   Last Visited: 11/5/2006

   Toward the end of WWI war hero Bill Blecha was awestruck with a castle he saw in Europe. Blecha was so fascinated by the castle that he dreamed of one day building something similar in his hometown of Oklahoma City.
   
   When Blecha returned from war, he became manager of Manhattan Construction Company. His duties included demolition and disposal, which gave him free access to what would become historically significant architectural pieces - pieces that would later provide the mainstay of the Blecha castle.
   
   More than two decades passed when Blecha discovered the same European castle featured in an architectural catalog in 1945. So with renewed inspiration and a storehouse of unusual salvaged pieces he acquired from demolition sites, he and his wife worked side-by-side to build Blecha's Dream Castle.
   ...
   This castle is a testament to a realized dream, and Bill Blecha enjoyed his dream castle until his death in 1989 at the age of 96. His daughter and son-in-law continued to live on the grounds until 1994 in a cottage constructed by Blecha in 1972.

2. 2. Keller in the Kastle German Restaurant History of an Oklahoma historic castle

   www.kellerinthekastle.com/hist - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/18/2003   Last Visited: 7/8/2004

   During the war, a castle in Normandy, France had captured the heart of the young soldier Bill Blecha. Upon returning home from the war Mr. Blecha became the construction manager of Oklahoma's Manhattan Construction Company. His job consisted of tearing down old buildings in order to build new ones. An admirer of fine classic work, he salvaged everything possible from the old buildings. His hope was to one day use these classic materials in a home of his own.
   
   One day in 1945, while reading the architectural digest- Collier's magazine, he came across that castle of his dreams. Working side by side, he and his wife, immediately began building their new dream home.
   ...
   After living almost 40 years in the Castle, Mr. Blecha's loving wife died in 1989 and at the age of 96, he followed her shortly after.
   ...
   So as you leave, please take a moment to stroll the grounds and imagine Mr. Blecha's and Hilde's dreams.