The Wikipedia article mentions that the builder, Michael Rubel, purchased the Glendora property in 1959. It doesn't point out that he was only 19 years old at the time. He and his mother worked out the deal and moved into the existing citrus packing house with their family antiques.
Michael's mother, Dorothy Deuel Rubel, had been a dancer on Broadway in the Greenwich Village Follies and was friends with Sally Rand. (You'll find their memorabilia when you tour the castle.) Dorothy loved to host parties, and many Hollywood glitterers attended.
The castle is another story, to be continued...
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I had a friend who once lived there -- or maybe a friend of a friend. It was an artists' colony in the 1980s. According to her stories, the rent was ridiculously low, but everyone chipped in with their manual and technical skills to keep the place afloat.
It's still very much that way, Karin. Several artists living there, a real communal thing. A hippie hideaway in the best sense. I don't know about the finances but the Glendora Historical Society has embraced the Castle and vice versa. We had a lovely time there.
You do have interesting friends and get into amazing places. This castle was featured in "Los Angeles Against the Mountains" by John McPhee, and I've always wanted to see it.
Maybe next time you're in town, Bellis!
An impressive entrance!
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