[Evermore Enterprises]Wrinkle 9: Castle in the Distance

22 December, 1999

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Tovrea Castle was built between 1928 and 1930 by Italian immigrant and San Francisco businessman Alessio Carraro. The building was framed with wood and covered with stucco sheathing. Much of the interior was done with recycled materials from local remodeling projects. The grounds were developed into a garden, filled with more than 300 varieties of desert plants. Carraro intended to turn the structure into a resort hotel and develop a subdivision of upscale homes in the surrounding area.

The project neared completion as the 1930 Christmas season approached. Carraro celebrated by installing 1,000 red, green, yellow and blue lights on the split-rail fence that surrounded the property and topping the arched gateway with a 10-foot electric tree. The display won The Arizona Republic's holiday decorations contest. The newspaper dubbed it a "brilliantly lighted castle in the desert." The castle moniker stuck.

Carraro's dreams came to an abrupt end a few months later when his neighbor, E. A. Tovrea, purchased some adjoining land and erected sheep pens. Tovrea and his wife, Della, purchased the property and the building the following year, turning it into their home. Della survived both her first and second husbands (William Stuart,) living in the building until her own death in 1969.

Tovrea Castle is located near a bend in a recently-completed stretch of the 202 freeway, making it a prominent Phoenix landmark.

A significant portion of the property, including the castle, is now owned by the City of Phoenix. Restoration of the garden was scheduled to conclude in November of 1999 with restoration of the building itself to begin shortly after. Refer to the City's website for more information.


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