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The
Carraro family in the Phoenix desert circa 1928
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The Castle and Gardens
are born
The story of Tovrea Castle
and the Carraro Cactus Garden begins in 1928 when Italian immigrant
Alessio Carraro sold his San Francisco sheet metal business and moved
to Arizona searching for his American dream. Carraro found that dream
in 277 aces of creosote-studded desert in an area that at the time was
just east of the Phoenix city limits. Where others saw a barren setting,
Alessio envisioned a resort castle surrounded by dense desert vegetation and an expanding resort community. He picked a small rise to build his castle and dubbed his future development "Carraro Heights," a name the city of Phoenix still recognizes today for the site.
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| From
1928 to 1930, Alessio, his son Leo and a crew of about 20 workers shaped
the landscape into a spectacular desert paradise. Crowning this landscape
was the magnificent wedding cake-shaped "castle" reminiscent
of his Italian homeland. Carraro hired a talented Russian gardner named
Moktachev to develop the gardens while the castle was built. |
When
first planted, the Carraro Cactus Gardens (as pictured here), were a
dense and vibrant collection of desert flora. Recent restoration efforts
have halted the gardens' decline, which likely began in the late 1940s. |
The
wood frame of the castle, circa 1929. Workers covered
the frame with
stucco, creating the castle much as it appears today.
|
A
dream is dashed |
| Carraro's dream for the property was quickly shattered in 1930 when
adjoining property owners began constructing sheep and cattle pens to
supply a nearby meat packing plant owned by the Tovrea family. Discouraged,
Carraro sold the castle and surrounding land to Della Tovrea in 1931. |
| But
a home is created |
Della Tovrea on the patio of the castle circa 1950s
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| E.
A. Tovrea, Della's husband, passed away shortly thereafter in 1932, but
Della retained the castle as her Phoenix residence. In 1936 she married
William Stuart, the publisher of the Prescott Courier and collector of
Internal Revenue for Arizona. They spent most of the year in Prescott
but lived in the castle every winter. Mr. Stuart died in 1960, and Della
relocated to the castle permanently until her death in 1969. In 1970,
the Tovrea Family Trust assumed control of the property. |
A
landmark is saved |
| Since the
late 1960's the property has remained largely unused. Without regular
upkeep and maintenance, the fragile cactus gardens declined rapidly
and the historic castle deteriorated. In 1993, the city of Phoenix purchased
the castle and seven and a half acres immediately surrounding the building.
Between 1996 and 2003, the city purchased an additional 36 acres of
land surrounding the castle, preserving it for future enjoyment and
use. |