| Julius' Castle | |
|---|---|
 Julius' Castle, side view, beside theGreenwich Steps | |
| Location | 1541Montgomery Street,San Francisco, California |
| Coordinates | 37°48′11″N122°24′18″W / 37.80306°N 122.40500°W /37.80306; -122.40500 |
| Built | c.1924–1928 |
| Architect | Luigi "Louis" Mastropasqua |
| Architectural styles | Gothic Revival/Arts and Crafts |
| Governing body | Private |
| Designated | 10 May 1980[1] |
| Reference no. | 121 |
  Location of Julius' Castle in San Francisco County Show map of San Francisco County Julius' Castle (California) Show map of California Julius' Castle (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
Julius' Castle is a castle-shaped building that sits at 1541Montgomery Street onTelegraph Hill inSan Francisco. It served as a visual landmark and as a restaurant for many years, originally opening between 1924 and 1928. Since 1980, the building has been listed as a San Francisco Landmark Number 121.[2] The architecture is described by theSan Francisco Planning Department as, "primarily derived from theGothic Revival andArts & Crafts Styles".[3]
In 1886, the lot originally housed Michael Crowley's two-story grocery store and later it was replaced with a family home which burned down in a fire in 1917.[4] In 1923, Julius Roz (1869–1947) started the construction process with architect Luigi "Louis" Mastropasqua (1870–1951).[2][4][5] The design of Julius' Castle was to pay tribute toLayman's Wooden Castle (also known asLayman’s Folly) a former German-style castle building that was a tourist attraction on Telegraph Hill from 1882 to 1903.[2][5][6] Both Roz and Mastropasqua had emigrated from Italy to San Francisco a year prior to the closing ofLayman's Folly.[5] ThePanama–Pacific International Exposition demolition in 1919 provided salvaged redwood and maple for the construction of Julius' Castle.[7] In the 1920s the castle was painted pink.[8] It operated as aspeakeasy for a time duringProhibition.[8]
Julius' Castle stayed open after Roz died in 1947. The interior was decorated inVictorian-era parlor style with views of the San Francisco Bay.[7] It was very popular with celebrities, politicians and businessmen such asRobert Redford,Cary Grant,Sean Connery,Marlon Brando,Ginger Rogers,Sir Edmund Hillary, and the entire cast of the filmThe Empire Strikes Back.[2][5] Julius' Castle makes appearances inDashiell Hamett's novels.[8] The 1951 film,The House on Telegraph Hill was filmed at Julius' Castle.[9]
After being operated by a series of restaurant owners and managers, Julius' Castle closed in 2007.[10] In 2017, the City approved the reopening of the eatery.[10] However, due to the neighbors complaints of a fear of crowds and noise and a related lawsuit, there were delays in reopening, and it's now scheduled to reopen October 2025.
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