One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Castle – Rubel Castle
In the foothills of Glendora lies a home like no other and it goes by the name Rubel Castle. The castle is the mind child of Michael Rubel, who as a child had a fascination with tree houses and forts which he eclectically built. The castle is made from various objects but mostly constructed with river rocks that were picked up and brought by Michael and friends and cement that at one point was being collected from a manufacturer from the excess that would fall out from the bagging area then later being supplied by a benefactor. Through out the castle you can see bottles, pipes, scaffolding, motorcycles parts, telephone poles, railroad ties, steel cables and other various objects that make up the building.
Where castle now stands used to be citrus groves, a packing house and a large reservoir where Michael and his friends would visit as kids and play in. Michael and his mother eventually moved into the packing house which is now called the Tin Palace where his mother would host large parties with it’s fair share of celebrities.
The castle started construction in 1968 where a small house was made using cement and bottles, and with a little help from dynamite Michael and a friend a blew a hole in the reservoir where hundreds of gallons water flooded the area and played a host to an army of frogs. This hole became the entrance to the castle where it can still be seen while walking in.
Through the years hundreds of people came together to help Michael and their vision come to life. Transporting hundreds of rocks and scrap, with the most notably being a train cabin, a 1911 Seth Thomas clock, 3 large bells and a train whistle that can be heard for miles.
Looking around you can see the eccentricity of it all as well as the carefully placed details and child like whimsy that makes up the castle. After the passing of Michael the castle was eventually gifted to the Glendora Historical Society where you can contact them and schedule a tour of Michael Rubel’s vision.
