When the property's caretaker arrived the next morning, he found extensive damage. Windows were shattered. Wood paneling had splintered and broken. Rooms were torn up, and decorations scattered on the ground.
In the days since the incident, the small foundation that maintains the castle says it has seen an "outpouring" of support from the community. Neighbors have offered donations. Others have volunteered to help clean up.
The exact cost of needed repairs is still unclear. But Linda Spears, vice president of the Mystery Castle Foundation, said that the "extensive" damage will be complicated to fix. And it will likely be expensive.
"This is a historic building," she said. "You don't just go to a hardware store to buy replacement windows."
For more than 75 years, the Mystery Castle has sat in the foothills of South Mountain Park, at the end of East Mineral Road. The stone mansion's whimsical architecture and touching history have made the landmark beloved in Phoenix. It was designated a city "point of pride" in 1992.
The structure was built during the 1930s by Boyce Luther Gulley, who envisioned it as a castle for his daughter, Mary Lou. At the time, the story goes, Gulley was recovering from tuberculosis. He had left his family in Seattle.
It was not until after Gulley's death that Mary Lou saw the castle for the first time. She spent the rest of her life leading tours through the building. When she died, in 2010, she left the castle in the hands of a caretaker, Juan Gastelum Robles, and the Mystery Castle Foundation.
The castle itself is strange and enchanting, built out of stone and scrap materials. The old building has 18 rooms, each painstakingly decorated with trinkets and art that Gulley and Mary Lou collected over the years.
In the courtyard, there's a wishing well.
On Monday afternoon, yellow police tape still lined the padlocked gates at the Mystery Castle's entrance. From the road, little activity could be seen at the old building. Some children were hanging around the gates, speculating on how the vandals had managed to get inside.
For now, the castle is closed to the public, and no reopening date has been set.
The old building has 18 rooms, each painstakingly decorated with trinkets and art that Gulley and Mary Lou collected over the years.
Phoenix Police Department
The Phoenix police spent most of Sunday investigating the damage. Ann Justus, a spokesperson for the department, told Phoenix New Times on Monday that there were no new updates in the investigation. No suspects have been identified.
Spears said, though, that she was hopeful that investigation would be fruitful.
"The police believe they got some good evidence," she said. "Enough evidence that if they catch someone they can definitely prosecute."
In the past, Spears said, the only break-ins the castle has suffered were from people seeking shelter. This happened five years ago, she said, while the castle was closed for the summer. Occasionally, staff found graffiti.
But things changed this week. On Wednesday and Friday, Spears said, rocks were thrown through a window.
These incidents paled in comparison to the destruction that occurred on Saturday.
"Every door has basically been damaged, kicked through," said Spears. "Windows [were] kicked out — not just broken glass but actually removing the casings."
The structure was built during the 1930s by Boyce Luther Gulley, who envisioned it as a castle for his daughter, Mary Lou.
Phoenix Police Department
Photos that the Phoenix police provided document the extent of the damage. Rooms were left in disarray. Shattered glass covered the cobblestone floors.
The two-story porches at the front of the building will likely have to be entirely replaced, Spears said, due to damage.
"It's horrible," she said.
Given that nothing was stolen from the property, and discarded beer cans were found, Spears said she suspects that a group of people had broken in to drink and party. Because the building is so old, with rudimentary utilities and no phone line, there are no security cameras or alarms on the property that recorded them.
For now, Spears said she is working to support her staff. With the castle closed, the nonprofit's only source of income — tours — has dried up.
"They've taken away livelihoods from the people who work there," she said.
The castle itself is strange and enchanting, built out of stone and scrap materials.
Phoenix Police Department
Once there's a clear cost estimate for the cleanup, Spears plans to create a GoFundMe to recoup some of the costs. Though nothing is certain yet, Spears said she hopes to reopen the castle in late May, before it's closed for the summer season.
Neighbors are eager to help. The Mystery Castle, she said, was inundated with support from the community.
One Phoenix resident, Kerry Koenig, was one. Koenig told New Times she was "devastated" to hear of what happened.
She lives in west Phoenix but remembers her family visiting the castle for decades. Koenig has taken her own children and grandchildren there.
"It's been there for so long. People grew up with that story, with it being there," she said. "There's something about it that's just captivating."
Koenig has offered to bring out her family and volunteer. But she worries that some parts of the castle will be unable to be restored — the quirky decorations and notes, sculptures, and art from Gulley's travels.
"It's irreplaceable," she said.
