I received E-Mail that said:
There is a home in Modesto, CA, called The Castle. It's in the 100 block of Magnolia Avenue. I believe it was built by the parents of Delmar R. Tonge, M.D. in Modesto.
On 7-4-05, I received e-Mail that said:
I took a Sunday drive yesterday out to Modesto and snapped a few photos of the castle you mention there. It is at 115 Magnolia, and I would guess that it's less than 40 years old. It's on a double lot in a nice neighborhood of 20's bungalows, so was obviously built later. It looks to me like an English Manor House. I have no other information.
On 7-11-06, I received E-Mail that said:
This is certainly much more than forty years old. I lived next door, at 125, from Summer 1951 to summer 1953. It was quite old then. One proof of its age at that time was the watering system, which was (perhaps still is) controlled by an entirely hydraulic timing system. I believe this building (which we all called 'the Castle', whether it was or not) must have been built in the twenties, perhaps earlier.
{{Castlefinder note!}} I'm not sure this is quite what I think of as a castle.
On 4-30-11, I received e-mail that said:
This castle was built in 1929 by Mr. Ed Hawke, manager of JC Penny in Modesto. It was owned by Dr. and Mrs.Burnett Tonge and their two daughters. It was never owned by Dr. Delmar Tonge or his parents.
On 5-2-12, I received e-mail that said:
This is called Hawke Castle, and is a replica of a Norman castle. It is currently owned by Artie Thayer.
(Source: Site Seeing in Stanislaus, by Kathleen Gooch, 2003)
On 7-8-13, I received e-mail taht said:
The home you have on your website in Modesto, CA is indeed Hawke Castle built in 1928-29. Actually, it is a residence designed in French Normandy architecture and replicates no particular castle. It was built by E. R. Hawke as his family home but changed ownership as a result of the stock market crash of 1929. It gained its official Hawke Castle designation as a "Historic Preservation Site" by the City of Modesto and is owned by Artie Thayer in family trust.
Back to "Castles of the United States"
A special thanks to Phil for taking and sending the photo.