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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