Getting a look, though, isn’t an easy feat. Tovrea Castle, which was built in the late 1920s, is off-limits to visitors, except for those who are lucky enough to win tickets to the limited number of public tours offered every few months.
The next public tours will be offered in the fall. The Tovrea Castle Society, the local nonprofit that oversees and maintains the property, will conduct a ticket lottery from June 1 to 15 for the tours.
Hundreds of thousands of Valley residents will enter the lottery but only a few dozen will win tickets to the tour. Here are all the details on how to enter the Tovrea Castle ticket lottery, how much it costs and what the tours will include.
What is Tovrea Castle?
The historic structure was originally built in 1929 by Italian immigrant, gold miner and entrepreneur Alessio Carraro (who originally intended it to become a hotel). It was later sold to meat-packing magnate Edward Tovrea in the 1930s and became a home for his widow, Della, after his death a few years later.The city of Phoenix purchased Tovrea Castle and the surrounding property in 1993 and eventually refurbished the historic building. The Tovrea Castle Society was formed in 2011 and began holding tours a year later to help support the castle’s upkeep.
Why is Tovrea Castle so popular?
Society president Tamera Zivic told Phoenix New Times in 2021 that the structure has a certain mystery to it, owing to the fact it only opened to public tours within the last decade.Tovrea Castle's prominent location alongside the busy Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway means that it's seen by hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.
“So there’s a lot of history behind the castle and people are just curious about it,” Zivic told New Times in 2021. “People who've lived here for a very long time want to know more about it, like ‘What the heck is that thing out there? What’s inside?’ Other people around the world have heard about and are quite interested in it also. But it's mainly locals of all ages who've just seen it their whole life and want to know what's going on there.”
How does the Tovrea Castle ticket lottery work?
Entry into the Tovrea Castle ticket is $22 per person for adults. Kids 2 and under are free with a maximum of two children per paid adult. Here’s how the process will work: - Tickets can only be purchased by those 18 or over. Only one entry per person will be allowed.
- From June 1 to 15, visit tovreacastletours.com/castle-tours and click the link for the fall 2024 lottery.
- Submit your name, phone number and email address.
- Select up to three days and times from September through December 2024. Tours will be conducted on Fridays through Sundays. Up to four tickets can be requested.
- A confirmation email will be sent to you after submitting your entry.
- Winners will be notified via by email after the lottery concludes. You will have 72 hours from the time they are notified to purchase their tickets.
- If winners fail to respond in time or cannot purchase tickets, another lottery entrant will be selected and contacted.
What will you see on the Tovrea Castle tour?
Tours, led by a Tovrea Castle Society docent, take approximately 75 minutes and cover only the structure’s main floor and basement, including the foyer, great room and kitchen. Visitors will see plenty of vintage, Art Deco-style decor and furnishings throughout the rooms, as well as a video detailing what’s on the building’s upper floors.Zivic told New Times in 2021 that the limitations are due to issues with the fire code and the lack of sufficient exits on Tovrea Castle’s upper floors. The number of tours and visitors each year is capped to comply with occupancy limits and to help preserve the castle.
