The Coral Castle

The Coral Castle was built by a Latvian immigrant named Edward Leedskalnin. He had come to Florida in the early 1920's following the separation from his fiancé and his tuberculosis diagnosis. He began constructing the castle as a tribute for his ex fiancé but he was a very secretive man. Ed did the majority of the work at night and no one witnessed any of the building. The vast majority of the coral has no visible signs of any tool markings. He did some tours for visitors but always kept his methods a secret. He passed away in 1951 at the age of 64. 

Ed's unique creation was turned into a museum and I was lucky enough to see it for myself. 

Sign in the entrance way.

The Tower.

The North Wall.

The Feast of Love Table. 5,000 lbs of coral make a perfect heart shaped dining area. The blooming ixora tree in the center is the original planted by Ed.

Entrance way to The Tower. Ed lived on the second floor and kept his tools in the storage space below. 

Some of the tools Ed used to create The Coral Castle.

The upstairs where Ed lived. We were allowed to go inside but it was difficult to take good photos because of the barriers. Ed's few posessions were pushed towards the walls. His bed was a narrow plank of wood suspended from the ceiling by two heavy chains. The whole set up was incredibly spartan. It's amazing to think that a man who desired so little had the capacity to create so much. Of all the mysterious sights his room stuck out to me the most. It made me wonder about the kind of person he was, what he thought about when he was sitting by himself every night. What made him so motivated to create this world that he gaurded so closely. He was a private person and perhaps it was fitting that I had no photos of his living space that I was willing to post. 

Standing in the center of his room you could feel the breeze from all four windows, one on each wall. The bed sways softly. The mason jars in the corner are still collecting dust, most likey right where he left them. It's incredible to think that he created a castle. 

Ed's BBQ cooker. Apparently he would used it to make hot dogs for childern during their school trip visits. 

The Florida Table.

The Obelisk.