Lunch Gathering

Some of the Red Hatters still residing in sunny AZ gathered on the patio last Friday to enjoy Taco Salads and confab.

I forgot my camera, but Linda Booker shared some photos. Lorraine was going to share photos also, but hasn't sent them yet.

Mary sporting her new AZ Desert Red Hat

Eating at the Stockyards

We asked the kind knowledgable volunteers at the Tovrea CastleVisitor's Center for a recommendation for lunch for the 14 of us. They mentioned the Stockyards Restaurant, gave us a menu to look at and discuss. We voted yes and they were kind enough to call ahead and make a reservation for us.

See the Hereford on top of the building in the upper center of the photo? 

That was our destination.

The room in which we dined had murals on all the walls.

Once I placed my order, I went exploring.

Inside photos first

From the 1889 Saloon 

 Two more gilded birds?

Then the hallway between dining rooms and bar

In the foyer of the Stockyards Restaurant

"In 1919, Edward  A. Tovrea, the "Cattle Baron" came to Phoenix and opened his packing house west of 48th St. and Van Buren to support his cattle ranching and beef marketing operations. Tovrea quickly realized the need for staging grounds and started building pens for the growing number of cattle to be slaughtered, packaged and sold. These pens were located around 50th St. and Washington - away from the city, on the Southern Pacific Rail line, and close to the farms where feed was grown.

Tovrea died in 1932, after his family empire had acquired additional acreage along Washington St., including the "Tovrea Castle" (Carraro Hotel). Tovrea's son Phillip continued the meat packing tradition.

By the late 1940's and throughout the 1950's, Tovrea had amassed 200 acres of cattle pens to support over 40,000 head of cattle at a time. It was during this period that the Tovrea Stockyards became the world's largest feedlot.

In 1947, Phillip's son, Edward Jr. built what was known as the "Tovrea Land and Cattle Co. Administration Building" to support the growing operations. In the next few years, the building tenants included Tovrea businesses related to the stockyard, a barber, a veterinarian, a rancher, The Stockyards Cafe and a private club on its second floor, the swanky Cowman's Club.

In February of 1953, the building was tragically gutted by fire, causing $650,000 in damages - a substantial amount of money in the 1950's. In 1954, a new larger building was completed on the site, which included office space, a new high end restaurant (The Stockyards Restaurant), and the private Cowman's Club. In the 1970's, the cow pens disappeared altogether, along with the Tovrea meat packing empire." - from The Stockyards, Arizona's Original Steakhouse paper menu

Outside photos of the building

Our meals were delicious, served with flair, and 

presentation.  For a menu and a guess at our lunch

selections, visit...

The Stockyards Restaurant

Tovrea Castle at Carrano Heights

Sue and Lorraine scheduled another unique and interesting tour for the Vixens. This time we drove west to Tovrea Castle at Carrano Heights. Many of us have seen the wedding cake building as we travel along the 202 or when we have ridden the light rail as we headed into Tempe or Phoenix. The Castle opened for tours last March after being closed for six years. The castle and grounds are owned by the city of Phoenix.

The Carraro Story

          "Born in Italy, Alessio came to the United States and built a fortune in the sheet metal business in San Francisco, California. With modest beginnings as a shoe cobbler, Alessio became a successful land developer, gold miner and developed a prowess as a Water Witch.

          In 1928, Alessio moved to Arizona with dreams of developing the desert just east of Phoenix into a resort destination and housing subdivision known as Carraro Heights. The centerpiece of his vision was a hotel, which is the main structure we see today. The building’s design and the surrounding gardens are the result of Alessio’s vision. Alessio, with his son Leo, oversaw the fourteen-month project which was completed in 1930.

           Alessio’s dreams were short-lived however, as the hotel and a portion of the property were sold in 1932. Some speculate the nearby meat packing plant was to blame for dashing Alessio’s dream. Others surmise the timing of his venture, which paralleled the Great Depression, created financial stresses. Nonetheless, the “vision” remains today for all to enjoy and wonder about."

We were transported from the entrance throughout the grounds and to the castle in golf carts. Our volunteer guides shared the castle was never inhabited as a hotel, as it was intended.

The Garden’s Early Years

"In the early stages of the Carraro Heights development, a Russian gentleman by the name of M. Moktatchev, fondly known as Mokta, appeared at Alessio Carraro’s doorstep with a proposal.  He offered to build a cactus garden.  A well-traveled man, Mokta had personal contacts all around the world and was able to acquire various desert related plant specimens from Australia, South America and Africa’s Sahara Desert.  These were in addition to the cacti he acquired from California, Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico and Arizona.  With the help of Alessio Carraro and his son Leo, Mokta planted over 500 species of cactus.  Mokta carefully labeled each cacti with its common and Latin name."  One of the most eye-catching features of the gardens is the white river rock that lines the gardens.

The Garden Today

"Although many of the original plants did not survive through the years and most of the physical structures require restoration, the grandeur of the gardens is still apparent today.  In 1998 the City of Phoenix began the first phase of the Garden restoration.  Architects studied historic photographs of the garden to determine which plants had been used originally.  Over the course of a year, they planted 400 Saguaros and 1,000 smaller cactus.  The new plants were planted  less densely to allow for proper growth and development and the City installed irrigation systems, split rail fencing, driveway lighting and returned the river rock to it’s original white color."

"These rocks were collected from the Salt River which was on the southern end of Alessio’s property.  There are two concrete-lined ponds, a horseshoe area and a game court.

During the Tovrea era, items added to the gardens include a large concrete patio just east of the castle, a rose garden, an aviary and a reflecting pool.

Our guide shared this rectangular bricked area was a game court. The holes or pockets were placed in the same positions as on a billard table. Maybe this court was intended for the hotel guests and was a bit like croquette?

This burned wooden building was the home for Alessio and his son Leo during the 14 months the castle was under construction. Alessio's grand plan was to have homes built on the grounds around the castle.

It is believed Alessio may have run out of money in 1932 and when a secret cash offer to buy the house was shared with him, ($21, 500) he took it.  So although the castle was the dream of Alessio Carraro, he and his family never lived in it. So who bought the castle?

The Tovrea Story

            "Who were the Tovreas?  The story begins with a young man named Edward Ambrose (“E.A.”) Tovrea.  Born in Illinois in 1861, E.A. moved to Kansas at the age of 10 where he worked on a cattle ranch and learned skills that in time would lead him to build a prosperous empire.  A true pioneer, at the age of 19, he moved west and started a freight company transporting goods between Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.  He eventually settled in Arizona where he built and owned butcher shops throughout the state.  His final stop was in Phoenix in 1919 where he founded the Arizona Packing Company, later known as the Tovrea Packing Company located just east of Phoenix in the area that is now around Washington and 48th Street.

          E.A.’s business ventures were eventually passed on to his son Phil, and the Tovrea empire continued to thrive. Edward and Phil were respected business men, and well known for being men of their words, with handshakes being their bond. History reflects that the employees of the Tovrea workforce were extremely loyal and the Tovrea business enjoyed low employee turnover – a sign of a healthy and positive working environment. The company prospered for 50 years and during the 1940s was considered one of the most modern and well-run meat processing and packing plants in the world.

           In 1932, E.A. and his second wife Della purchased the castle from Alessio Carraro.  Sadly, E.A. passed away within a year.  Della Tovrea resided in the castle until her death in 1969.  The castle remained part of the Tovrea estate until it was purchased by the City of Phoenix in 1993."

This cement and stone bench was said to be a favorite spot of Della Tovera to watch the sunsets.

So many little things have the castle shape as designed by Carraro, including the patio lamps.

Inside the castle we were greeted by the beautiful original wooden floor, the electric fireplace and medallion above the fireplace. This room was intended to be the dining room and lounge or bar area of the small hotel.

The fireplace had so many interesting textures. The above photo looked like thumb print spins or pushes. Maybe the kids made this one?

The stenciling on the walls and ceiling are very typical of Italian decor of that time period.

The original light fixtures were interesting, too.

Della was just 18 years old when she married E.A. Tovrea. He was 45, divorced, and the father of five sons. E. A. died in 1932 at the age of 70 and just months after he and Della moved into the castle completed by Carraro. (There was much more to the interesting story of how the Tovreas got the castle, but take the tour as I am sure to have something wrong.) Della eventually married William Stuart, editor of a Prescott newspaper.

What is she doing standing over a hole in the floor?  Notice those cute booties?

Cool air was coming from the hole in the floor. The cool air was coming from the much cooler basement. The castle had air conditioning! The booties? We were required to wear the booties over our shoes to protect the floor.

We had moved from the dining area of the 'hotel' to the reception area. This cut-away model of the castle shared what the upper levels look like as they were off limits to the tour. In the lower right of the model, the tunnel is shown connecting the hotel to the gardens.

If I am remembering right and there is no information on the web site, the second floor had six guest rooms and one, ONE full bathroom. The third floor had two or four guest rooms with a bathroom. But remember, it was never used as a hotel. It became the Tovrea residence shortly after construction was completed in 1932.

We moved into the kitchen from the hotel lobby. This large blue sink was one of two pieces left in the house.

This built in cupboard was the other piece.

This kitchen light fixture is also original to the house. The globe has blue lines.

The hole in the ceiling was another interesting story. "Della, who did not have children, lived at the Castle until shortly before she died in January 1969, after two men beat and tortured (???) her during a robbery. Both were caught."

And here is the rest of that story..."She slept on a cot in the kitchen, and heard them come in upstairs. She also carried a pistol with her to scare people off the property. She fired the pistol through the ceiling in the kitchen to try to scare them off, but it didn't. The hole is in the Tovrea castle ceiling today."

Della was born in October 1888. So she was nearly 80 years old and becoming a bit eccentric. She lived alone in the castle. Her greatest fear was someone breaking into the castle and robbing her. It eventually happened.

Della did not die as a result of the robbery incident.

We continued our tour in the cool, comfortable basement. This is one of three tunnels leading to the grounds.

The basement was also interesting in several ways. But the ceiling was probably the most interesting. The plaster looked like meringue from a pie. I will get to the light fixture also.

Leo Carraro plastered the ceiling. Do you see the eggs in the nest? Leo also put another creative touch on the ceiling...

The mount for the light fixtures were also in the shape of the castle.

If you have the opportunity to tour the Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights, I highly recommend it. There was much I did not share in words or photos. Just the "rumor has it..." stories are worth the tour. Visit the web site to get more information.

Our dining experience for lunch will be shared

in another posting early next week.