Most castles built in Hollywood were made of wood and plaster and stood behind movie actors swashbuckling their hearts out. However, there were a few honest-to-goodness castles here and there. This one was called Castle Glengarry and it stood Franklin Ave. One report I found said it stood on the northwest corner Grand View Blvd, but I could find no such street on any map, so I guess Grand View Blvd changed its name. Dr. Alfred Schloesser, who built it, owned a swath of land around Franklin, Argyle, and Vine Streets, so it must have been around there, and near his other castle—because yes, the good doctor built more than one castle!—which he named San Souci. Castle Glengarry was completed in 1912, and had 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, a medieval entrance hall, and two 150-year-old Carrara marble lions. All in all, it must have been a sight to see during one’s morning constitutional around 1910s Hollywood.
John J. said: “The “castle” was built on lots 21 and 22 of the Schloesser Terrace tract No 2. Argyle was named Schloesser Terrace. The tract south of Franklin was one of the most famous. It was the Grand View Boulevard tract. The section that curved north from Larquier Ave. and Ocean View Ave was Grand View Boulevard. It is now named Argyle. The curve was for the LAPR rail line.”
This is what that site now looks like:
Grand View was renamed Argyle. It originally curved west at Yucca St. toward Vine St. In the 1930s, the street was extended south to Hollywood Blvd. and beyond.
Thanks Jim. Everything pointed to me to the similarly named street in Mar Vista.
If the Castle was on Franklin, it looks like the building would be on the corner of Argyle and Franklin between Dix and Franklin facing Argyle with the address 1901 Argyle with the address being correct for that location. The info I have says that the Castle was torn down in 1956 where The Capitol Gardens Apartments with the address of 1920 Argyle now stands. I tend to think this is more correct with the Castle being on the corner of Argyle and Dix st and not Argyle and Franklin. The other photos I have seen of the Castle shows the right side of the Castle is bordered by a street and the left side shows a neighboring home next door and not Dix st.
From Wikamapia.org where they have a more updated color postcard photo…
Built in 1908 at 1904 Argyle, Dr. Schloesser built this medieval era replica of a castle four years before building the much larger Castle Sans Souci across the street. Demolished in 1956, the “castle” was replaced by the Capitol Gardens Apartments. In the 1920s it was the home of silent film star Sessue Hiyakawa.
Thanks, Bob. I couldn’t find Wikamapia.org so I assume you meant Wikimapia.org? Either way, I couldn’t find the postcard you mentioned.
http://wikimapia.org/37056137/Castle-Glengarry
The postcard says that Sessue Hayakawa lived there!
http://wikimapia.org/37056137/Castle-Glengarry
HAS THE COLOR PHOTO OF THE CASTLE
Argyle achieved another kind of fame when in 1960 the studio musicians who recorded the hit single “Ally Oop” in a tiny studio at the corner of that street and Hollywood Boulevard chose to call themselves the Hollywood Argyles.
Wow Bill, that’s a wonderful fun fact.