Rubel Castle

Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve used this, and just a few life changes since the last time I updated it…just buying a house, becoming a parent, that kind of stuff. But all of that is unimportant, because the reason I’m updating this today is to talk about a really cool place in our very own city of Glendora…Rubel Castle!

Built over the course of about 25 years beginning in the 1960s, Rubel Castle isn’t exactly a real castle, but it is still very cool! The person who started it, Michael Rubel had a very interesting life. He grew up in Glendora, and worked at one of the orange packing facilities that used to be abundant in the area before all of the citrus groves were replaced with tract housing. Being an affable guy, he convinced the owner of the orange packing farm to give the property to him when the rest of the land was being sold off.

Continuing the theme of people giving things to him for free, Michael was able to build the castle using found materials, convince people to help him construct it, and even had a benefactor who provided funds for him to purchase concrete for free to use in the construction. The property also has a lot of other interesting things there, such as an old train sleeper cabin that has been converted into a sort of AirBnB, and also a lot of classic cars that Michael found abandoned, towed back to the property, and repaired back into working order.

A lot of the original structures of the orange packing facility were rebuilt and repurposed, mostly into additional living space. The warehouse is now a kind of museum, with a lot of family heirlooms and antiques. The freezers were converted into bedrooms, although now no one lives in them. there are certain parts of the property that are still occupied, mostly by people who help maintain the property as groundskeepers. Apparently there is also a waiting list if you want to rent a room there, although our tour guide (who is the nephew of Michael Rubel) didn’t disclose how long it is, or how much the rent is now…

One of my favorite parts of the tour was the workshop and smithy that are both still operated on the property. Our guide mentioned that a blacksmithing group still uses the facilities on Saturday to create some of the items on sale in the gift shop. I inquired if it was a private group or if they might be willing to show me the ropes and participate some time, so Michael’s nephew took my info and said he would ask! Fingers crossed that I get to become a blacksmith in a castle…

The castle was originally built on top of a defunct water reservoir that Michael used as part of the foundation for the castle. In the lower levels the original retaining walls can still be seen. Despite its hodge-podge appearance, our guide said that the castle has never suffered any damage from earthquakes in the decades since its construction. The is pretty impressive considering the giant Northridge earthquake that hit the Los Angeles area in the mid-90s.

After our tour of the castle, we went to a nearby brewery in Covina called the Arrow Lodge Brewery. It was pretty good, and had an adjoining pizza place that we bought our lunch at. Then we capped off our day out with some pinball, playing the Foo Fighters pinball machine.