Several readers — most recently, David Serchay — have written to ask what's up with the Magic Castle. As you may have heard, the esteemed private club for magicians in Hollywood had an ironic fire on Halloween afternoon — ironic because the building had been decked out with special lights that, that evening, would have made it look like it was ablaze and all the ads for the big Halloween Party (which of course had to be cancelled) proclaimed it would be held in the midst of an "Inferno."
I'm not a representative of the club (just a member) but I can tell you what I know. The fire, they're saying, was started by a roofer with some sort of torch. Most of what was burned was in the attic where offices were located and a lot of computers and desks were destroyed. The more lasting, hard-to-replace damage was from water — either from fire hoses or the sprinkler system.
The Castle is kind of a magic trick in and of itself. It looks a lot bigger on the inside than it does from the outside. That's because, to give away the secret, it's really not one house as it appears to be. The main structure pictured above is the former Rollin B. Lane mansion built in 1909. It was rented and refurbished by the Larsen Brothers, Bill and Milt, commencing in 1961 and it opened as a club in 1963. It expanded soon into an adjoining structure with the two buildings chained together seamlessly, plus they dug into the hillside for further expansion. The water damage has closed down most of the Lane mansion but the add-on was largely untouched and has reopened for business. It houses most of the showrooms so it's now possible to go and enjoy about half of the Magic Castle experience. That is, if you're a member or you have a guest pass from a member.
(When the fire occurred, the first question all the members had after they heard no one was injured, was "Is the library okay?" Among the wonders of the Castle is one of the most extensive collections of magic-related documents and books on the planet. Fortunately, the library is in the annex that escaped the fire and the H2O.)
Crews are working night 'n' day to restore the rest of the Castle. I'm hearing different estimates of how long before the work will be completed and I guess the answer is that no one really knows.
I love the Castle. I first went there around 1980. I was then seeing a lady named Bridget (this person) and she was working as an assistant to a terrific magician named Chuck Jones (this person). Chuck — no relation to the famed cartoon director — was a kids' show host in L.A. in the sixties and I wanted to see him as much as I wanted to see Bridget sawed in half. Actually, to repurpose an old Henny Youngman joke, I was afraid if he cut her in half, I'd get the half that eats.
It was such a wonderful place, I couldn't resist. I joined the Castle as an Associate Member a week later and later demonstrated enough expertise in magic that they upgraded me to a full Magician Member. Oddly enough, I probably do less magic now because I go to the Castle, see the best in the world perform and decide I am not fit to ask anyone to pick a card, any card.
Above and beyond being a fun venue to take friends to dine and watch shows, it's also the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. You don't really join the Magic Castle when you join. You join the Academy. At times, it really feels like a club and never more so than in the weeks since the fire. That roofer with his torch caused a lot of destruction but he also reminded us all how much we treasure the Castle and would hate to ever lose it. There's been a tremendous rallying with everyone offering to help and donating funds. The Castle carried pretty good insurance and I would imagine whatever policies the roofing company had will be paying a nice piece o' change, as well. But when does insurance ever cover every single dime of loss?
That's just about all I know about this. The Castle has a superb staff that has a good track record for working miracles. It would not surprise me if our clubhouse is made whole again sooner than anyone imagines. When it is, a lot of members are eager to rush in, see it again, touch it and appreciate it more than ever.