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It’s an icon in the desert, impossible to miss from Loop 202 near Van Buren Street in Phoenix.
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The castle on the hill has earned plenty of nicknames over the years – and made kids like me crave sweets from the back seat. After all, it does look like a multitiered cake.
Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights has intrigued Valley residents for decades.
Tovrea Castle was built in the late 1920s. According to legend, a wealthy businessman named Edward Ambrose Tovrea built it as a gift for his wife, Della Gillespie Tovrea.
But the true history behind the castle is not quite so sweet.
The land where the castle now sits was established as a 160-acre homestead in 1907 by F.L. and Lizzie Warner, according to the Tovrea Carraro Society. By 1923, the Warners had doubled their land holdings. In 1926, they subdivided part of the property to create Warner Heights. After F.L. Warner’s death, the family sold 277 acres to Alessio Carraro in 1928.
Carraro, an immigrant from Italy, envisioned a resort and housing subdivision on the land called Carraro Heights. Its centerpiece would be a hotel – the cake-like structure we see today.
The 14-month project was completed in 1930. An article in The Arizona Republican, now The Arizona Republic, appeared on Oct. 6, 1929, under the headline “Carraro Heights on Tempe Road is real ‘show.'”
Where a “shack” once stood as part of Warner Heights, the article reported, “The shack was razed and in its place was erected a beautiful home.”
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The building was surrounded by a cactus garden, which the article said included “every known variety found in the deserts of Arizona.”
As beautiful as the hotel was, no guests came to stay. In 1931, Carraro sold the castle to Edward Ambrose “E.A.” Tovrea and his second wife, Della. E.A. lived in the home with Della for about a year before he died. Della remained in the castle until her death in 1969.
The city of Phoenix purchased the castle and its 44-acre cactus garden in 1993.
Myths and legends have long surrounded the mysterious castle on the hill. For years, rumors swirled that it had been a gangster hideout or was haunted.
In March 2012, the castle finally opened to the public. It remains a hot ticket: Most tours sell out months in advance, with few cancellations.
But the beauty of the “Wedding Cake Castle” can still be appreciated from afar anytime you are driving along Loop 202.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The true history of Phoenix’s iconic ‘Wedding Cake Castle’
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Reporting by Katherine Chircus, Arizona Republic / Arizona Republic
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published September 27, 2026 at 5:01 AM.