Eccentric journalist builds himself a castle, stone by stone.

Upon his arrival, he was rightfully named first city editor. Obviously a do-it-yourself kind of guy, when faced with the issue of where he would hang his hat in his new city, he decided he’d like to live in a castle. Los Angeles did not have an abundance of castles for sale, so Lummis built himself one by hand out of stones he pulled out of the river.

By taking a much shorter walk than Lummis did, you can enjoy a free tour of his castle house and gardens, now a historical landmark displaying artifacts and tales of the adventures of this little known eccentric. The house is credited with being one of the first to spark the Arts & Crafts aesthetic that would soon monopolize architecture styles. Word on the street is that by asking for the “dirty tour”, you become privy to a much more interesting version of Lummis.