W ith all due respect to Wrigley Mansion, there is no more talked about or more famous residence in Phoenix than Copenhaver Castle. More of an eccentric mountaintop lair than impenetrable Medieval fortress, the castle was built on the south side of Camelback Mountain over a 12-year period by Phoenix orthodontist Mort Copenhaver. According to the Copenhaver Castle Foundation, the imposing structure was modeled after a Moorish stronghold in Spain that the builder saw in an old movie. The stone used to erect the round towers and walls was blasted from the vertically oriented, rectangular five-acre lot using mining equipment acquired by Copenhaver. Aesthetically, the rock-on-rock effect is as equally impressive up close or gazed upon from afar by passersby down on Camelback Road. True to form, accessing the castle by more traditional methods still isn’t easy. Greeted by a gate and “1967” plaque (which commemorates the year in which Copenhaver bought the land), visitors must travel up a steep, winding drive that passes underneath the master wing en route to the detached three-car garage, fountain, and front entrance with mammoth double doors. Equipped with both a drawbridge and a moat, along with its own helicopter pad, the castle certainly captures the imagination from the outside, but inside is where the true intrigue lies. Listed at over 7,800 square feet of living space (the caretaker says that number is closer to 10,000), the home was built in eight levels, with ten view balconies and a retractable roof. It has 20 rooms in all, with five bedrooms, seven and one half bathrooms, and four fireplaces. The great room has a tiled hot tub that seats 20 comfortably, a 17-foot indoor waterfall that cascades over the grand fireplace, sauna, arched wooden-framed windows with several view decks overlooking the Valley, plus an indoor grill and bar area. The dungeon (yes, dungeon) is equipped with a wet bar and a study. And what castle would be complete without a few secret passageways? Copenhaver put the castle on the market in 1985 but it never sold and he eventually lost it to foreclosure. Chase Bank owned the property until 1989, when it was sold to Jerry Mitchell, a rancher and owner of Black Canyon City’s Krazy Horse Polo Ranch. The castle has been unoccupied for over a year and is in the midst of an aggressive remodel, including all-new plumbing and electric. There is little doubt that with the right decorator’s eye and some ambitious contractors, Copenhaver Castle could be transformed into a beautiful residence. After all, with a perch that is 150 feet higher than any other lot on the mountainside, the castle’s city views are truly one-of-a-kind. Copenhaver Castle is currently being listed for $3.9 million, a price which the listing agent’s flyer says, “reflects the need to update the kitchen, bedrooms, and baths.” Home Name: Copenhaver Keep Builder: Mort Copenhaver Designer: Mort Copenhaver Square Footage: 7,800 (approximately) Years Built: 1967-79 COPENHAVER COPENHAVER KEEP KEEP

O7 SUMMER 2009 ARCADIA HOME