Before it needed repair in 1986, it was widely reported that the swivel was so well designed that the gate could be opened with just the push of one finger. Carved to exacting specifications, it clears the walls next to it by a mere quarter of an inch. Perhaps the most spectacular structure on the grounds is the eight-foot tall revolving gate. wall was not effected and remains to this day of uniform height around the wall.
They are so well constructed (and heavy) that during the Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992, none of the stones shifted and the 8 ft. Using no joint compound or mortar, the massive stones, when combined together, are held in place by their own weight. The tallest stones reach 25 feet, while the heaviest rock weighs nearly 30 tons. For the most part, each carving and piece is made from a single stone. He made a variety of “furniture” including beds and rocking chairs, as well as a fountain, table, well, sundial and throne.Īpparently fascinated with astronomy, Ed carved a stone telescope, and even erected large stone depictions of Jupiter, Saturn and the moon from blocks weighing as much as 23 tons. With these huge rocks, Ed built walls, erected a tower and a 22-ton obelisk. The average weight of the stones is about 14 tons each. Not really coral, the huge stones that comprise the castle are composed of oolitic limestone the coral designation came about later when visitors noticed fossilized coral and shells in some of the rocks. Fearing the loss of privacy as development moved closer, Ed transported his castle, with the aid of a truck, tractor and trailer, 10 miles north to its present location in Homestead, Florida. Originally named Rock Gate Park, the Coral Castle was first erected at Ed’s remote Florida City home. When asked how he manipulated such large blocks alone, Ed would explain that he had “discovered the secrets of the pyramids.” A loner, one hundred pound, five-feet tall Ed refused to let anyone even watch him work, and no one is known to have helped him move, carve or place the massive stones. This experience seems to have had a life-changing effect, as you’ll see later.Īfter he bought a parcel of land in Florida City, Florida, Ed began to work on the Castle. During a bout with tuberculosis around 1919, he moved to Florida, where magnets were apparently used to treat his condition. sometime around 1913 after his fiancée broke off their engagement (and a large piece of his heart). Born in Riga, Latvia in 1887 to a family of stonemasons, Ed immigrated to the U.S. Very little is known of the mysterious creator of the Coral Castle, Ed Leedskalnin. Between 19, a diminutive Floridian single-handedly and without heavy machinery moved 1,000 tons of limestone, creating out of it a castle.
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