THE “CASTLE”

Designed and built in 1922, this structure was originally called the “Refectory.” Adjacent to the original amphitheater, it was intended to be a restaurant with paned glass windows and open air terraces, and an upper floor with a stage and seating for performances. Visitors would arrive by carriage in the tunnel below, enter through double doors into a foyer and then ascend the stairs to the restaurant above. With the Crash of 1929, money was no longer available and the structure was never completed. Today it is a picnic area and is often used for wedding and senior class photography. A full restoration of the structure is planned by the St. Joseph Parks Dept.

ORIGINAL BLUEPRINTS 1922

Blueprint photographs used with permission courtesy of the St. Joseph Museum
Castle photograph courtesy of Robert Turbak