Mars Cheese Castle opened in 1947. The original store burned down in 1957. The castle name and design were inspired by a castle in Italy which was owned by the store owner's mother. In 2011, the store was forced to move and rebuild nearby due to widening of I-94. The 80-foot-tall sign from the 1950s was allowed to stay. The new building is twice the size of the old one. It was built like a more authentic castle. The store reopened in 2011. These photos are from 2012. In 2016, the sign was removed. It was replaced with a similar but smaller one with backlit plastic letters instead of neon and a graphic display panel. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. [map]