Sam’s Castle

In 1908, San Francisco rail magnate Henry Harrison McCloskey, grandfather of Congressman Pete McCloskey, modeled and built Sam’s Castle to replicate his wife Emily’s childhood home in Scotland. McCloskey erected the castle by the sea as a safe haven after his San Francisco home was severely damaged in the 1906 earthquake. With its century-long reputation as a speakeasy, an illegal abortion clinic, a brothel and Coast Guard barracks during World War II, the castle was purchased and restored in 1959 by the late Sam Mazza who filled it with wondrous works of arts and antiques collected during his career as a theater painter/decorator for 20th Century Fox. The Castle is occasionally open to the public for tours by the Pacifica Historical Society, courtesy of the Sam Mazza Foundation.

Sam's Castle
900 Mirador Terrace
Pacifica, CA 94044

Website: www.sammazzafoundation.org/the-castle/overview/

Hours: Check website for tour dates and times

Entrance Fee: Check website

Getting Here: From Highway 1 in Pacifica, take Paloma Ave/Francisco Blvd exit (traveling South) or the Clarendon Rd/Oceana Blvd exit (traveling North) and drive to Mirador Terrace.

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