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Mystery Castle in Phoenix
Architecturally consistent is a good way to describe Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona. All buildings with the exception of downtown are low to the ground, with unobtrusive signs and very few glaring neon signs. The vast majority of structures have stucco exteriors in pleasant desert shades (beige, cream, pale pink and browns). Lots of green PaloVerdes (the State tree) and gnarly bark Mesquite trees, line the roadways and wide boulevards. The tile roofs (no asphalt shingle here) are reminiscent of Spain. Our purpose in traveling into this city was to check out an unusual “good find” known locally as the Mystery Castle. It’s an architectural oddity, nestled at the base of what Phoenix residents call the South Mountains. We’d heard about this home built in the 1930s by Boyce Luther Gulley. He used ingenuity and whatever he could find in the way of building materials, to build an 18 room castle. Flagstone, rocks, tin, wrought iron and railroad ties were used. He cemented the stone together with a mortar he concocted himself. There are little towers, balconies and windows of all different shapes and sizes. The location of the castle is at 800 E. Mineral Road and is due south of downtown Phoenix. In fact, the castle has a clear view of the center of town and a spectacular view of the valley. We drove along a picturesque boulevard leading to Mineral Road, lined with trees and wild flowers. Since the South Mountains are a Preserve, dozens of hikers were headed in the same direction.
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