Chateau Rochendaal was owned by Catholic Mayor and Papal Count Jean HP Ulens. He built this neoclassical manor in 1881. The white-plastered brick building has three storeys and a four-storey turret. The Ulens-Ulens coat of arms adorned the facade, as Count Ulens was married to his cousin Marie Ulens. In 1904, notary and mayor Paul Cartuyvels purchased the estate as a country residence. He lived there with his wife until his death in March 1940.

During World War II, the German occupiers established the Bevingen military quarters on the estate. This was intended to serve the base for night fighters in Brustem. It marked the immediate start of the building's long military history.

Even after the liberation, it retained its military purpose. Initially, the American army found luxurious accommodation there. In 1951, the estate was sold to the Belgian State. From then on, it became a military domain of the Belgian Army. Chateau Rochendaal housed the officers' mess for the Air Force Training Centre Sint-Truiden. In 1996, then-Defence Minister Leo Delcroix closed down the department, including the Bevingen school complex. After the closure in 1996, the estate retained its military status. Military personnel with dog patrols continued to conduct military exercises there for a long time.

A portion of the estate was used as a center for asylum seekers. In 2012, the local authorities announced that the estate would be transformed into a residential project with 300 homes. There were plans to restore the chateau too. Unfortuantely though, on September 13, 2017, another major fire broke out, completely destroying the chateau.

Years of vacancy resulted in beautiful decay. For photographers, the ceiling of the internal chapel particularly captured the imagination. The royal blue ceiling with the golden stucco dove of peace was unfortunately destroyed by the last fire.