10 S  Tovrea Tovrea Tovrea Tovrea Castle Tovrea Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle Castle By Mallory Gleich | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOVREA CARRARO SOCIETY t’s a Phoenix Point of Pride and one of the most unique landmarks in the Valley. It’s visible from two freeways, several major streets and myriad window-seat passengers who fly into Phoenix every year. For all those that see the outside from afar, a limited number of visitors are able to experience the Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights up close and personal. Tours of the 44-acre site and its 5,000 square foot architectural “wedding cake” castle are very limited and sell out quickly. The first family to settle on the property was the Warners: WARNER FAMILY In 1907, a couple named Ferdinand (F.L.) and Lizzie Warner established their homestead when they married on 160 acres of land near the Salt River in Phoenix. They built a home on the hill in the center of the property and called it “Warner Heights.” CARRARO FAMILY In 1928, the Warners sold their property to Alessio Carraro for $68,000. Carraro came to the United States from Italy in 1907. He originally resided in San Francisco, By Mallory Gleich | PHOTOS COURTESY OF TOVREA CARRARO SOCIETY A PALACE IN THE DESERT Sylvia Ottoboni and Alessio Carraro married in San Francisco in1910. Tourist sign located in the basement of the castle. PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK, LEO, AND MARIE CARRARO FUN FACT: It was Carraro’s son Leo’s idea to paint the rocks around the property white. According to the tour guide, Alessio jokingly handed Leo a paint brush and told him to get to work – and he did! t’s a Phoenix Point of Pride and one of the most unique landmarks in the Valley. It’s visible from two freeways, several major streets and myriad window-seat passengers who fly into Phoenix every year. For all those that see the

11 California, making his money through a successful sheet metal business. Carraro moved to Arizona in 1928 with the vision of opening a resort and housing development in Phoenix. Taking a cue from the Warner family, he named the property “Carraro Heights.” Carraro and his son oversaw the 14-month project in which the centerpiece of his vision was built. Carraro’s plan included luxury home sites that would be placed around the property. To start, a 40 by 60-foot hole was blasted out of the solid granite to form the basement. From there, workers used pine wood and stucco to create each level of the castle. Only the roof of the cupola, the structure at the top of the castle, is made of sheet metal. When the Great Depression hit, Carraro’s dreams of opening a resort were put to rest. Carraro was forced to put the building and land up for sale in 1931. TOVREA FAMILY Originally from Illinois, Edward Ambrose (E.A.) Tovrea started a successful freight company that transported goods between Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. He made his way to Phoenix in 1885. Tovrea started his career in the Valley by opening various butcher shops. Later, he founded the Arizona Packing Company, which would become known as the Tovrea Packing Company, on 400 acres that is now around Washington and 48th Street. The packing company once processed more than 300,000 head of cattle annually, making the Tovrea Stockyards the largest custom feedlot in the world. Stockyards Steakhouse, which is still open today, was a popular meeting spot for Tovrea’s employees and clients. 45-year-old Tovrea met Della when she was just 18 at a shop that she worked at in Bisbee. After years of living near the Stockyards, the Tovreas watched the castle being built, and when it went up for sale Della put in a sealed bid for $21,500 for the castle and 44 acres. E.A. Tovrea passed away a year after moving into the castle. Della stayed until her death in 1969. Afterwards, the castle was owned by the Tovrea Family Estate and was overseen by caretakers who lived on the property along with members of the Tovrea family until the City of Phoenix bought it in 1993. CITY OF PHOENIX In 2010, the city completed the renovations to the building, but had no money to open it to the public. The Tovrea Carraro Society was formed the following year as a nonprofit to specifically operate and manage the castle and grounds in a unique partnership with the City of Phoenix. Tours of the castle began in March 2012. The Tovrea Castle Tour is around 90 minutes long and starts at the visitor’s center. From there, guests are taken through the Carraro Cactus Gardens by tram with a certified docent. The tour winds through 44 acres, where guests can see the outer buildings amongst more than 100 varieties of over 5,000 cacti. On the castle grounds, guests can check out the wrought iron gates that Della installed as part of the original entrance Carraro had built from granite. Carraro, as a hotelier, wanted people to come in and visit the area and stay at the castle as a boutique hotel. When the Tovreas moved in, it became a private home, instead. Guests can also view the “pyramid,” a giant structure built in 1993 bearing the names of three generations of Tovrea. The symbol on the pyramid is the Circle Walking L, which was Tovrea’s cattle brand. Carraro installed a number of “activity areas” for his guests – he wanted people to have something to do while they stayed at his hotel. The game court, which is almost 100 years old, was built with bricks and blocks that were made on-site. He also built a pond to attract the native wildlife. Later on, Della built a reflecting pool on the opposite side of the pond. It was there that guests could take in the views and the massive saguaro. Della also had over 130 peacocks roaming the premises. There still stands a horseshoe court, a patio and an aviary where she kept exotic birds. Also on the property is a well house, fuel house and a caretaker’s house that remain in their original shape – though the paint has long-since worn off. The caretaker’s house is the oldest building on the property, having been part of the original homestead of the Warner’s. The Carraro cottage was also part of the landscape. For a while, homeless people squatted in the building, and when they were forced out, they set it on fire. It stayed standing for a little longer until a microburst flattened it. Now all that’s left is a pile of burnt wood and some pillars. The Tovrea Carraro Society plans on reconstructing the cottage in the near future and is in the process of raising funds. Alessio Carraro and the touring car he drove during his 1923 visit to his homeland. Workers at Carraro Heights, c. 1929. At one time, E.A. Tovrea was the general manager of the Sonoran Packing Company, based in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. Della Gillespie Tovrea Stuart castle as a boutique hotel. When the Tovreas moved in, it became a private home, instead. E.A.’s son, Philip Edward Tovrea is pictured here in an undated advertisement in The Cattleman , a beef industry publication. COURTESY OF THE TOVREA FAMILY COURTESY OF FRANK, LEO, AND MARIE CARRARO COURTESY OF FRANK, LEO, AND MARIE CARRARO COURTESY OF THE TOVREA FAMILY