Posted Oct. 23, 2012

By LAURIE CHARLES

HOMESTEAD, Fla.—A table built from coral rock in the shape of the state of Florida, a dual-chambered well, and a sun dial are not typical features one would expect to see at an outdoor living space.

Yet the unexpected and unusual is the sort of thing for which Coral Castle is known. Located on U.S.1 north of Homestead, the 1,100-ton coral rock castle, which is said to have been built single-handedly by one man, has been leaving visitors in awe for the past 60 years.

Coral Castle was constructed by Edward Leedskalnin, a five-foot, 120-pound man from Latvia with a fourth grade education.

It has been said that Leedskalnin built the castle on his own with the help of simple tools including metal falls, wedges, cable sledges and chisels.

“The coral was quarried from the ground, but we don’t know how he did [constructed] it,” said Debbie Ramirez, a tour guide at Coral Castle. “It’s like the modern-day Stonehenge.”

The story behind Coral Castle is one of love. Completed in 1941, the castle is said to be a tribute to Leedskalnin’s love, Agnes Scuffs, whom he referred to as his “Sweet Sixteen” because she was 16 and 10 years younger than him at the time they met.

The day before Leedskalnin and his “Sweet Sixteen” planned on getting married, Scuffs called the wedding off. It was then that Leedskalnin left Latvia. He lived in Canada, California, and Texas for some time, but ended up in Florida in 1918.

“He left as the result of a broken heart,” said Ramirez. “He came [to the U.S.] to begin a new life.”

Before its current name, the castle was known as Rock Gate Park. Leedskalnin had begun construction in Florida City in 1923, about 10 miles south of its current location.

After hearing of a 10-acre property for sale, he moved to Homestead in 1936 and brought the stone pieces along with him. It is said to have taken Leedskalnin three years to move the coral.

“He incorporated those pieces over here,” said Ramirez.

Construction at its current location began in 1936 and was opened to the public as a museum in 1941. However, no one ever really saw the construction of the castle.

“Ed was a very private man and would usually work at night,” said Ramirez. “You also have to remember that at the time, this was the middle of nowhere.”

As guests enter the castle, they are greeted by the Three Ton Gate, a 6,000-pound rock balanced on the axle of a Model T Ford that can be easily spun by visitors.

“I moved it! I can’t believe I moved it!” said six-year-old Leo Durango, who was visiting Coral Castle from Chicago with his aunt, Meloney Hill.

Further into the castle are the reading chairs. There are three different chairs: the morning, afternoon and evening chair.

“The chairs were placed based on the position of the sun throughout the day,” said Ramirez. “He wanted the sun to shine on his reading material.”

The castle features other stone carvings including the Heart Table, also referred to as the Feast of Love, which weighs more than 5,000 pounds and was featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not as the world’s heaviest valentine.

Other features include the Florida Table, which was carved in the exact shape and in direct proportion to the actual state of Florida. Leedskalnin engraved Lake Okeechobee on the table which he claimed served as a bird bath.

Leedskalnin also built a dual-chambered well which maintains a water temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit year round. The water comes from an aquifer and the coral itself purifies it.

“Because of its cool temperature, it is believed Ed used the well as a refrigerator to store his food,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez said that one of the castle’s main features is the Polaris Telescope which stands 25 feet tall.

“On any clear night, you can see the north star,” said Ramirez. “[But] the single, most fascinating thing to me by far is the sun dial.”

It is said that Leedskalnin used the sun dial as a time piece and calendar.

“The sun dial is numbered from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. because Ed believed those were the hours man should work,” said Ramirez.

Leedskalnin carved several loops into the coral; the numbered loops mark an hour and the unnumbered loops represent a half hour.

However, the time indicated on the sun dial is always Standard Time because Daylight Savings Time had not yet been established. So depending on the time of year, the time must be adjusted.

“Ed was so in-tuned with nature,” said Ramirez. “That internal radar we’re equipped with, he knew how to use it.”

Yet Leedskalnin’s monument to the castle is the obelisk. The monumental piece stands 40 feet tall, weighs about 57,000 pounds, and rests on a six-foot deep hole.

The obelisk was one of the monuments he had constructed while living in Florida City.

At the top of the obelisk, Leedskalnin carved the year it was made, the year it was moved, the year and country of his birth, and his initials. That information is possibly the only documented data of the castle’s construction.

The mystery of the castle is that Leedskalnin never revealed how he constructed it. Ramirez said that the only written records he left were several booklets he wrote on the things he studied and believed in, but no blueprints or journals.

When asked about his work, Ramirez said that Leedskalnin would respond that he knew the secret to the pyramids.

“It would probably always be theory,” said Ramirez in regards to Leedskalnin’s techniques.

However, Ramirez said that the 1920 U.S. Census recorded Leedskalnin as an axe handle manufacturer. Ramirez also said that Leedskalnin’s father and grandfather were stone masons.

“It [craftsmanship] was a gift they all possessed,” said Ramirez. “He [Leedskalnin] took it to another level in what he exhibited here. His lost love was a catalyst, but this was his passion.”

However, a lack of documented evidence on the castle’s construction has led to many myths and skepticism.

“We have a lot of skeptics,” said Ramirez. “But if machinery would have been used, there would have been blemishes in the coral because it is very porous. Resistance would have shown.”

After Leedskalnin died in 1951, the castle was left to his nephew. However, Ramirez said that his nephew shortly abandoned the castle.

The state then sold the castle at a public auction as back taxes, which was purchased by a private corporation known as Coral Castle and is still run by it today.

In 1984, Coral Castle was placed in the National Register of Historical Places in which Ramirez said the castle is protected as a historical landmark.

The castle attracts thousands of tourists every year.

It was Hill’s first time visiting Coral Castle. She said that she was fascinated and amazed by its story.

“I was totally surprised,” said Hill. “I’m into history and have always wanted to visit, but I really did not expect this. This is insane. He clearly had devotion and dedication.”

The love story behind Coral Castle took on a greater meaning for Kentucky residents, Andrew Groves and Tiffany Bacon.

Both teachers, the couple came down to Florida during their fall break to visit Coral Castle, where Groves proposed to Bacon next to the Heart Table.

Before Groves made his proposal, Bacon said he handed her a wedding scrapbook with labels stating “Food,” “Photos,” and “Guests.” At the end of the scrapbook was the label, “But first you need a ring.”

“That’s when he proposed,” said Bacon as she smiled at her fiancé and admired her diamond engagement ring.

“Coral Castle meant a lot to us when we first started dating,” said Groves. “We always wanted to come here.”

IF YOU GO

Coral Castle

Address: 28655 S. Dixie Hwy., Homestead, Fla., 33033; phone: 305-248-6345; website: http://coralcastle.com.

Hours: Sundays – Thursdays: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fridays – Saturdays: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Admission: Adults (ages 13 – 64) $15; Seniors (ages 65+) $12; Children (ages 7 – 12) $7; Children (under 7) Free.

Features

There is a gift shop on premises as well as a snack bar and vending machines. The snack bar usually closes at 6 p.m., but guests are welcomed to bring their own food and enjoy their meal on one of the tables surrounding the castle.

Directions

From the North:

• Take I-95 South to the Florida Turnpike South
• Take the Florida Turnpike, past the Homestead Extension, to Exit #5 Biscayne Drive (288^th Street)
• Turn right going west, onto Biscayne Drive
• Continue for two miles to SW 157^th Avenue
• Turn right onto SW 157^th Avenue
• Coral Castle’s entrance will be on the right side

From the South:

• Go north on U.S.1, turn right onto SW 157^th Avenue
• Coral Castle’s entrance will be on the left side

From the West:

• From Naples, proceed East on Tamiami Trail to Krome Avenue, going south to Homestead
• Continue to SW 288^th Street (Biscayne Drive)
• Turn left and proceed east to SW 157^th Avenue
• Turn left onto SW 157^th Avenue
• Coral Castle’s entrance will be on the right side

From Miami International Airport:

• Take 836 West to the Florida Turnpike South
• Merge onto the Florida Turnpike South
• Continue past the Homestead Extension, to Exit #5 Biscayne Drive (288^th Street)
• Turn right onto Biscayne Drive
• Continue west for two miles to SW 157^th Avenue
• Turn right on SW 157^th Avenue
• Coral Castle’s entrance will be on the right side

Special Events

Coral Castle hosts special events including summer solstice and autumnal equinox night tours, Easter egg hunts, first Saturday Psychic readings, weddings and photo shoots. Group tours are also available. For more information, contact Event Specialist Laura Maye at 305–248–6345 or at lauramaye@coralcastle.com or visit http://coralcastle.com.