The Making of Elevado de Castillo

The house now referred to as “Elevado de Castillo”, was merely 1515 Elevado, LA 90026, when Guy and Karen Vidal stumbled onto it in Feb of 2006.   A severely neglected Spanish four-plex built in 1925, most of its outer walls had separated from the structure, and many of the framing members had become so rotted, they could be broken apart with bare hands.  Inside water damage destroyed ceilings, walls, floors and most fixtures and counters.  None of the systems were working.  The building was considered for demolition by everyone who considered buying it…  that is everyone except the Vidals.

Karen immediately fell in love with the architectural beauty of the structure.  The octagonal turret, the tall ceilings, huge windows, large porches, 9 feet tall built ins - all sparked her restoration-oriented imagination.  Karen wanted the house so badly that when she learned the probate agents may accept another offer, she broke down and cried.  But they didn’t  - and the Vidals acquired the property that month.

Karen’s plan was to keep the house as a legal four-plex but to restore it in such a way that would attract a single family to it.  The living quarters would occupy the top 2 apartments.  An entire apartment alone was to be converted into the master bedroom-bathroom suite.  Of the 2 downstairs apartments, one would serve as an office and the other as a guest suite.  It was to be the ultimate live-work space.

Clearing the exterior and cleaning the interior of this nearly 4,000 sq ft trash compactor behemoth took nearly one month - at a cost of over $30,000.  Next, Mechanical engineer Vern Dragomir was brought it to survey the house and offer structural remedies.

Karen invited mosaic artist Patricia Callicott to co-design the project and together they decided that the new home was going to be a Mediterranean oasis.  Early in April, Patti set up her shop inside the Elevado ruins and for the next 10 months she created dozens of complex mosaics, counters and floors throughout the house, all hand cut of thousands of pieces of tile, marble and limestone.  Many of the intricate cuts (pieces smaller than ½ inch in length) were performed by a regular tile saw.  Not a single piece of tile in the entire project has a factory cut edge.  Many of the tiles were imported from Morocco and Thailand.   

Under Dragomir’s direction much of the rough framing was rebuilt and retaining walls erected in the rear. Most of the windows and doors were replaced. The entire electrical, plumbing and heating systems had to be replaced.  New sewers, drainage, irrigation and gutter systems were put in.  To implement all this most of the house had to be completely gutted.

Meanwhile, the blueprint of the Mediterranean sanctuary flew off the drafting table with a life of its own.  The design expanded to include marble floors, custom colored concrete shower walls, arched openings embedded with bricks; stain glass windows, metal tile, and hand-crafted copper cabinet-jewelry.  The work was evolving in directions which simply could not be planned.  A huge fresco was painted on the exterior crown of the building.  Scenic artist Alexandra Wiesenfeld, worked off a 40 foot scaffolding, magnifying Callicott’s design.

Custom iron work was a large component of the project, and for this task Ironworks expert Jesus Herrera was brought in.  Steel treated with Japanese brown patina was used everywhere from edging kitchen counters, to closet hanging bars, to bathroom sink legs, to window rails, to light fixtures, to ornate balconies and elaborate and majestic front gates for the dwelling.

An outdoor room was created in the back yard – featuring a large “tile carpet”, a brick and copper fireplace and large concrete sofas adorned with hand made cushions.

One of Karen Vidal’s specialties is lighting design.  She purchased simple lanterns, designed elephant shaped hangers, and had them wired in a UL approved laboratory.  Elsewhere, she stripped light fixtures and reconfigured them using sconces imported from Morocco.  The result was a new vocabulary in lighting design.  The ambience created by the dancing shadows of these fixtures is unparalleled.

Elevado de Castillo is a modern interpretation of artistic traditions ranging from Morocco and Moorish Spain to India and Polynesia.  It is virtually a hand-made house, with attention to artistic detail that is rarely found in building projects today.

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