Local landmark for sale on eBay

Hamburg - It’s a bit of a fixer-upper that lacks plumbing and heating. On the other hand, it’s a genuine castle and, if you have several hundred thousand dollars laying around not doing anything, the price is right. Even better, you don’t even have to leave home to buy it. With a buy-it-now price of $380,000 and a target price of $500,000, it’s listed in an eBay auction that closes on Oct. 11. Shipping is not included. The Gingerbread Castle is also one of Sussex County’s most famous landmarks, the building that is said to have been America’s first theme park. And if its current owner can’t sell it within the next month, the Sussex County Sheriff will knock it down at auction to pay $100,000 in back taxes, says its owner, Frank Hinger. The Gingerbread was built in the 1920s for $250,000 and quickly became a destination for families in the new age of the automobile. It pays homage to Mother Goose and fairy-tale characters. Visitors were welcomed by a grinning Hansel-and-Gretel witch. It fell upon hard times and was an overgrown wreck frequented by local teens when Hinger purchased it and the grill across the street some five years ago. Since then, Hinger has put his time, effort and cash into restoring it. Last year, Rodeway Inns donated money and labor to help clean the building up, but much work remains. “This an attempt to preserve the castle,” said Hinger, who fears that if it goes to a sheriff’s sale, a developer could buy it and demolish it to make way for more profitable construction. Hinger says he is tapped out. When the nearby bridge connecting Gingerbread Castle Road with Wheatsworth Road in Hardyston closed, the business in his grill fell off so precipitously he had to close it last November, he said. Any sale would come with a deed restriction requiring the new owner to maintain the castle. Hinger is not averse to it being moved. “It was built for children,” he said. “It’s magical. It was built for families to come and have a good time together, to do righteous things. My dream was to turn it around and make it something better than what it was.” Hinger has tried to get Hamburg to take the building over but the parties couldn’t reach an agreement. He said he will accept donations to pay the back taxes, and, if the building is sold, will return all donations. Hinger can be reached at 973-827-1617.