National Register of Historic Places

Tovrea Castle

Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
Listed
March 28, 1996
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96000309

About this property

Tovrea Castle is a historic structure and landmark at 5041 East Van Buren Street in Phoenix, Arizona, on 44 acres (18 ha) bounded by the Red Mountain Freeway (State Route 202) to the east, Washington Street to the south, Van Buren Street to the north and the Main Post Office to the west. Locally known as the "Wedding Cake Castle," it was built from 1929 to 1931 in a vernacular Italianate Architectural Style by Alessio Carraro, and was originally intended as the hotel centerpiece of a planned destination resort. It became a private residence after its purchase in 1931 by E.A. and Della Tovrea. The castle is part of the Phoenix Parks System and is designated as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride. Plans were to fully open the site to the public in 2009, but cost overruns delayed the opening until 2012. The castle and grounds have over 5,000 individual cacti in over 100 different varieties, maintained by Tovrea Carraro Society. The Society offers guided tours of the grounds, first floor, and basement along with special events as the Operator and Manager of the site. The castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Earlier names for the structure included "Carraro Heights" and "El Castillo". The signs label it "Tovrea Castle at Carrarro Heights".

Location

5041 E. Van Buren
Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona
33.44922, -111.97238

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURECOMMERCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Webster Auditorium
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Questions about this property

When was Tovrea Castle listed on the National Register?

Tovrea Castle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Tovrea Castle?

Tovrea Castle is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tovrea Castle?

The period of significance for Tovrea Castle is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Tovrea Castle?

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