Shea’s Castle, also known as Sky Castle or Castle Ranch, is a private Irish-style castle located in the Mojave Desert, California, just 30 minutes north of Santa Clarita.
THE HISTORY OF SHEA’S CASTLE
Shea’s Castle was built in 1924 by New York native Richard Peter Shea, who hoped the isolated spot and the clear, dry air would help his wife Ellen’s health issues.
After making a fortune after subdividing Hancock Park and other wealthy Los Angeles enclaves that sold for a total of $56 million, Shea spent $175,000 on his isolated eight-bedroom, seven-bath, two-kitchen castle, with 512 acres of land in the Mojave Desert.
Shea hired more than 100 local laborers to quarry thousands of tons of granite from boulders on the property to create the Irish-style castle’s three to five-foot thick walls. They also created a 10-acre man-made lake, and a stable, also built to look like a castle.
After two years of building, Shea’s Castle was complete. However, it was only a few years after that the 1929 stock market crash sent Shea’s finances plummeting, forcing them to abandon the castle and move back to LA.
After moving to Wilshire Boulevard, Shea lost his castle to the bank after borrowing heavily against it. Then in October 1932, his beloved wife Ellen passed away from the health issues she had been fighting.
Two months later, a despondent Shay walked into the ocean, drowning himself. He was found near Venice Pier with his wife’s ashes in a small container tied around his neck. He was just 57 years old.
FAMOUS TENANTS AND OWNERS AT SHEA’S CASTLE
Over the next five decades, Shea’s Castle was owned by a succession of at least fifteen owners and renters, some of which left a real mark on the castle. Possibly the most famous tenant was Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy star of both TV and movies. He leased the property for a time, training his famed horse, Trigger, at the property.
Roy Rogers
Another notorious owner was millionaire playboy Tommy Stewart Lee. Tommy was the son of media magnate Don Lee. After Don died in 1934, Tommy inherited $10 million in cash, TV and radio stations, and also a Cadillac dealership.
Tommy Stewart Lee
Tommy soon got to spending his inheritance by funding a racing career. He would also be seen hanging out in Hollywood nightspots with singers and movie stars such as Joan Crawford.
However, in 1942 Tommy Lee wrecked his car, smashing several vertebrae. The pain resulted in insomnia which later led to him being dependent on painkillers.
In 1947, Tommy and his friends spotted Shea’s Castle while racing across the dry lake. Not long after, Tommy Stewart Lee was the new owner, he would use the castle as a hangout for fast-driving friends, even adding an airstrip so they could fly in. The barn was also converted into a garage.
The airstrip can be seen from this aerial photo, with Shea’s castle in the bottom right.
However, not long after purchasing Shea’s Castle, and still in pain from the crash all those years earlier, Lee’s relatives and business partners had him declared mentally incompetent. Doctors would blame the painkillers he required.
Then in 1950, with his mental state deteriorating, Lee climbed the Pellissier Building on Wilshire Boulevard, smoked a cigarette, and then jumped from the fire escape at the top of the 12-story building.
Pellissier Building, where Lee would end his life.
LATER OWNERSHIP OF SHEA’S CASTLE
In 1964 the castle was purchased by Walter Gayner, an Orange County developer who then sold it in June 1981 to the Iranian Group. From 1974 until 1985, the property caretaker was Richard Delgado, who brought in the Iranians but later sued them for fraud.
In 1985, the Sherman Oaks-based Genz Development bought the estate. The plan was for them to restore the lake, install a golf course and divide the rest of the estate up into 120 large lots for luxury homes. However, nothing came of those plans, and the property was put back on the market.
SHEA’S CASTLE ON SCREEN
Unsurprisingly, Shea’s Castle has featured as the backdrop for a number of movies and TV shows, including “Blood of Dracula’s Castle” (1967), “Rat Patrol,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
SHEA’S CASTLE TODAY
The private owners of the Shea’s Castle after Genz Development are hard to identify; what we do know is the house was put on the market in 2011, and then again in 2018 for just under $5 million.
Unfortunately, very few good photos of Shea’s Castle appear to exist. With the property being so isolated, it’s even difficult to get exterior photos, never mind interior shots.
However, if you liked Shea’s Castle, you should check out Mystery Castle. Mystery Castle is another castle in which someone chooses to move to a warmer climate and build a castle while suffering from health issues.
