Castle is an amazing enigma. The Castle was built by a Latvian American emigrant named Edward Leedskalnin. Leedskalnin claimed to have built the
castle using secret knowledge of
magnetism. Made from numerous megalithic limestone coral blocks
weighing 1100 tons. Such was Leedskalnin's masonry skill that the
blocks held without mortar allow no light to pass between the joints.
Leedskalnin claimed he knew the
secret of the pyramids. The castle features many sculpted pieces and furniture cut from the same coral sedimentary rock known as oolite.
Leedskalnin's living quarters were located in the castles two story tower
which stands out as a featured element
of the castles design. Another famous feature is a huge 9 ton eight foot tall
gate that was balanced with such precision that a child could easily push it open with a finger. In 1986 the gate stopped working, with the help of a
50 ton crane the gate was removed and it was discovered that Leedskalnin
had used a truck bearing that it pivoted on. Billy Idol's song " Sweet Sixteen" was inspired by Leedskalnin's
reason for building the castle, being jilted by former love Agnes Scuffs who left him at the altar. Listed since 1984 on the National Register of Historic Places the Coral Castle formerly known as Rock Gate is a mysterious piece of Americana. Billy Idol used the castle as a backdrop for his music video for "Sweet Sixteen" which is still open to the public and can be seen online at
Coralcastle.com
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