Phoenix Mystery Castle Vandalized: Damage was 'Remarkable'

PHOENIX, AZ — When Paula Mogavero showed up to the Phoenix Mystery Castle on Sunday to take an out-of-town guest on a tour, they were met not by a tour guide but instead by police caution tape.

Someone broke into the Mystery Castle on Saturday night and caused extensive damage, including broken windows, railings and furnishings, according to Phoenix police.

Mogavero described the vandals as "rotten scoundrels" in a Facebook post and said in a message to Patch that she felt, "Disappointment and outrage that someone would do this."

Linda Spears, vice president of the Mystery Castle Historical Foundation, the entity that runs the Mystery Castle, broke down in tears several times while speaking with Patch about the castle and the damage done to it.

"The damage was just remarkable," Spears said. "Basically every door has been shattered."

There are around 20 doors in the castle. And windows were not only broken, but their frames were kicked out as well, Spears said. She described the damaged as malicious, with drawers opened and tossed, and empty beer bottles left inside.

Police and the foundation are asking that anyone with information about the vandalism to contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness, at 480-WITNESS.

The castle is currently closed to tours, and Spears is unsure when it will reopen. The foundation, which has maintained the castle and run tours since its owner died in 2010, operates solely on income generated through the tours.

A contractor is set to inspect the damage on Thursday to give the foundation an idea of how much money it will have to raise for repairs and reconstruction.

The Mystery Castle is in the foothills of South Mountain Park at 800 E. Mineral Road in Phoenix. Boyce Gully built the castle in the 1920s and 1930s for his daughter, Mary Lou. Gully died in 1945, and Mary Lou moved into the castle as an adult. She offered tours of the home to the public until her death in 2010, when the foundation took over the tours and operations of the castle.

Even Mary Lou's bedroom, which is not part of the tour, was basically destroyed on Saturday night, Spears said through tears.

Gully used environmentally friendly building techniques and repurposed discarded items in his construction of the castle. He used refrigerator dishes from the 1930s as light fixtures and utilized wheel rims from cars in the walls for ventilation. The mortar in the walls is made from a mixture of hard dirt and goat milk, a Native American technique, Spears said.

"It’s a testament to one man’s dedication to preserving the land," Spears said of the Mystery Castle. "He used Native American techniques, he used reclaimed materials and created something basically by hand that has stood the test of time."

In the past, the castle has seen minor vandalism, such as when it was a popular Pokemon Go stop when the mobile game was at its height of popularity several years ago, or when people experiencing homelessness would break in to get away from the heat. But that past damage is nothing compared to what happened on Saturday, Spears said.

There was some minor vandalism at the property last week, but Spears did not know if it was by whoever caused the destruction Saturday night.

Currently, the castle doesn't have adequate electricity to run a security system, but Spears said the foundation will be looking into a security system as the castle is repaired.

Community members have already been reaching out to the foundation via its website to make donations toward repairs and to find out how they can help, Spears said.

"I can’t believe the support we've been receiving," she said.