Glendora’s Treasures: Take A Sneak Peek Inside Rubel Castle

Recently GCN was invited to take a look at one of the most historic and, by far, the most eclectic structures in Glendora: Rubel Castle.

Also known as Rubelia, which adorns a sign hanging above the front entrance at 844 N. Live Oak Ave., it is a creation unlike anything before or since its completion.

We will leave the details and Rubel’s historical anecdotes and reasoning to the docents who give public tours on a regular basis, but know going in that most, if not all, features of the two and a half-acre wonderland are as bizarre and delightfully unique as its creator: Michael Rubel.

I had the honor of meeting Rubel on numerous occasions and can testify that he was for the most part always a big kid at heart, simply doing whatever spurred his interest.

The majority of Rubelia was built between 1959 to 1986 when Rubel declared the castle construction complete, though at first glance, you would never know. Almost all materials used were recycled or considered trash and were formed around an old Dam to make up the base of the castle.

An antique caboose of all things was used as guest quarters. Many antique cars, old machinery from the turn of the 20th century decorate Rubelia and let’s not forget about the horses, chickens and other critters roaming around.

Embedded into the stone mortared castle walls alone you catch a glimpse of half a motorcycle, toaster, wine bottles and numerous other odds and ends that people would donate during the 27-year build time. There are too many items to list and so many questions as to why they are there, but we will let the tour show explain the rest.

In 2013, The National Register of Historic Places added The Rubel Castle Historic District to it’s list. Since March of 2005 it has been operated by The Glendora Historic Society; Rubelia was donated to them prior to Rubel’s passing in 2007.

Enjoy the slideshow and consider taking a tour of this magnificent property. Photos courtesy of Joe Cina.

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The following information is from The Glendora Historical Society’s Rubel Castle Facebook page:

Public tours of Rubel Castle are available by reservation only. For individuals or small groups of 11 or less, tours are scheduled:
EVERY First SUNDAY, Second TUESDAY, Second THURSDAY, Third FRIDAY, Third SATURDAY, and Fourth SATURDAY @ 10am
Group Tours: If you’re scheduling a group of 12 or more, please request a date(s) at least 3-4 weeks in advance. 50 people maximum. For more information follow this link to the Glendora Historical Society webpage- http://glendorahistoricalsociety.org/Castle.html

Donations are Tax Deductible
$10.00 Adults /
$5.00 Children (8 to 12 Years)
*NO CHILDREN UNDER EIGHT ARE ALLOWED ON THE PREMISES.
Please have exact cash or check ready on the day of your tour.
Checks can be made out to Glendora Historical Society.
Credit cards are NOT accepted.

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