Julius' Castle
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Julius' Castle
| image = Julius' Castle San Francisco.jpg
| caption = Julius' Castle, side view, beside Filbert Steps
| location= 1541 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California
| coordinates = {{coord|37|48|11|N|122|24|18|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = San Francisco County#California#USA
| built = c.1924–1928
| architect = Luigi "Louis" Mastropasqua
| architecture = Gothic Revival/Arts and Crafts
| area =
| governing_body = Private
| designation1= San Francisco
| designation1_number = 121
| designation1_date = 10 May 1980{{cite web|title=City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks|publisher=City of San Francisco|url=http://default.sfplanning.org/Preservation/bulletins/HistPres_Bulletin_09.PDF|accessdate=2017-07-18}}
}}
Julius' Castle is a castle-shaped building that sits at 1541 Montgomery Street on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. It served as a visual landmark and as a restaurant for many years, originally opening between 1924 and 1928. Since 1980, the building has been listed as a San Francisco Landmark Number 121.{{Cite web|url=http://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/sf121.asp|title=San Francisco Landmark #121: Julius' Castle|website=Noe Hill of San Francisco|access-date=2017-07-19}} The architecture is described by the San Francisco Planning Department as, "primarily derived from the Gothic Revival and Arts & Crafts Styles".{{Cite web|url=http://208.121.200.84/ftp/files/LOD/2014/1531_Montgomery_302_Greenwich_Street.pdf|title=Certificate of Appropriateness Case Report|date=2012-09-19|website=City of San Francisco|access-date=2017-08-10}}
History
In 1886, the lot originally housed Michael Crowley's two-story grocery store and later it was replaced with a family home which burned down in a fire in 1917.{{Cite web|url=http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Julius'_Castle|title=Julius' Castle, "Castle on the Hill"|last=Accardi|first=Catherine|date=2011|website=FoundSF|publisher=The Semaphore #196, Fall 2011|language=en|access-date=2017-07-19}} In 1923, Julius Roz (1869–1947) started the construction process with architect Luigi "Louis" Mastropasqua (1870–1951).{{Cite news|url=http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2012-12-13/CastelTelegraphHill|title=The Castles of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco|last=Marinelli|first=Nickolas|date=2012-12-14|work=L'Italo-Americano|access-date=2017-07-19|language=en}} The design of Julius' Castle was to pay tribute to Layman's Wooden Castle (also known as Layman’s Folly) a former German-style castle building that was a tourist attraction on Telegraph Hill from 1882 to 1903.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Telegraph-Hill-Story-Now-rare-history-of-S-F-3238231.php|title=Telegraph Hill Story / Now-rare history of S.F. neighborhood being republished|last=Zoellner|first=Tom|date=2000-11-27|work=SFGate|access-date=2017-07-19}} Both Roz and Mastropasqua had emigrated from Italy to San Francisco a year prior to the closing of Layman's Folly. The Panama–Pacific International Exposition demolition in 1919 provided salvaged redwood and maple for the construction of Julius' Castle.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/Reincarnated-Julius-Castle-is-a-joy-3131957.php|title=Reincarnated Julius' Castle is a joy|last=Unterman|first=Patricia|date=1995-09-08|work=SFGate|access-date=2017-07-19}} In the 1920s the castle was painted pink.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Places-in-Time-A-toast-to-the-Bay-Area-s-2937773.php|title=Places in Time / A toast to the Bay Area's historic 20th century-and-still-going watering holes|last=McGrane|first=Sally|date=2001-03-28|work=SFGate|access-date=2017-07-19}} It operated as a speakeasy for a time during Prohibition.
Julius' Castle stayed open after Roz died in 1947. The interior was decorated in Victorian-era parlor style with views of the San Francisco Bay. It was very popular with celebrities, politicians and businessmen such as Robert Redford, Cary Grant, Sean Connery, Marlon Brando, Ginger Rogers, Sir Edmund Hillary, and the entire cast of the film The Empire Strikes Back. Julius' Castle makes appearances in Dashiell Hamett's novels. The 1951 film, The House on Telegraph Hill was filmed at Julius' Castle.{{Cite web|last=Viall|first=Tim|title=Venture off the beaten path to find San Francisco's hidden gems|url=https://www.recordnet.com/story/lifestyle/2021/09/27/san-francisco-travel-hidden-gems-visit-city-bay-travel-bay-area-fall-sightseeing/5889623001/|access-date=2021-10-22|website=The Record|language=en-US}}
After being operated by a series of restaurant owners and managers, Julius' Castle closed in 2007.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julius-Castle-restaurant-gets-the-OK-to-reopen-11271419.php|title=Julius' Castle restaurant gets the OK to reopen on Telegraph Hill|work=SFGate|access-date=2017-07-19}} In 2017, the City approved the reopening of the eatery. However, due to the neighbors complaints of a fear of crowds and noise and a related lawsuit, there were delays in reopening, and it's now scheduled to reopen in 2023.
Gallery
File:California-05836 - Julius' Castle (20015100964).jpg
File:Menu, Julius’ Castle, San Francisco (12001224385).jpg|Julius’ Castle Menu, date unknown
File:Menu, Julius’ Castle, San Francisco (12002040776).jpg|Julius’ Castle Menu, date unknown
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.juliuscastlesf.com/ Julius' Castle website]
- Video: [http://www.sfgate.com/video/article/Forgotten-6712921.php "Julius Castle on Telegraph Hill – This Forgotten Day in S.F."] from San Francisco Chronicle (2015)
{{San Francisco, California}}
Category:San Francisco Designated Landmarks
Category:1880s architecture in the United States
Category:Drinking establishments in the San Francisco Bay Area