Scotty's Castle - Death Valley, CA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 37° 01.928 W 117° 20.487
11S E 469631 N 4098491
Scotty's Castle is located on the northeastern end of Death Valley National Park in CA at 123 Scotty's Castle Road with access from SR 267.
Waymark Code: WMKJNC
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 04/22/2014
Views: 4
Scotty's Castle is not a castle, is located in an unlikely remote desert location, and has a very unusual backstory. Scotty's Castle is actually a two story villa. Construction began in 1922 in the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style and was completed at a cost of $1,500,000 to $2,500,000.
Chicago millionaire Albert Mussey Johnson had a business arrangement with con man Walter Scott to invest in Scott's fraudulent gold mine in the Death Valley area. Despite the fact that Johnson was duped, he and Scott became friends. Johnson and his wife enjoyed the region and decided to construction a winter vacation home in Death Valley. They hired Martin de Dubovay as the architect, Mat Roy Thompson as the engineer and head of construction, and Charles Alexander MacNeilledge as the designer of what is now known as Scott's Castle. Due to a survey error the villa was actually built on government land. Negotiations with the government halted construction for some time, but they were eventually allowed to complete the structure.
Johnson and his wife died without heirs and left the property to the Gospel Foundation and Walter Scott was appointed caretaker. In 1970, the National Park Service purchased the villa from the Gospel Foundation for for $850,000.
Price of Admission: 15.00 (listed in local currency)
Weekday Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Weekend Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link]
Location Website: [Web Link]
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