Santa Rosa, California: John Medica Castles and Gardens (Closed)

John Medica and his wife Frances were our landlords back in the early 1970s, long before this now-private property was developed with a few upscale homes. I have great memories of John with his wheelbarrow full of rocks, and his coffee cans in which he mixed cement, building bridges and castles that only he could see in his mind. We lived in the duplex that sat to the southwest of their house that backed up to the park. They were both such peaceful, happy people. They lived simply but seemed to relish that property. It truly was their Nirvana.

As a kid back in 1974, my friends and I used to play in this garden. Endless hours of enjoyment. John was about, yet we only spoke with him on rare occasions. Nice to see it is still there. It needs to be preserved.

The previous tips are correct. Private and protected. Was fortunate a few years back to speak with a person living within the gated community. BecauseBecause I had visited John Medica as aa child they were kind enough to let me walk through. A beautiful place.

The castles are beautiful, as are the cacti gardens, model bridge and little statues created by John Medica. The gardens are 1.7 acres of open space and are fenced. It would be terrific if the city of Santa Rosa would help create more access to this site that many Santa Rosans used to visit while growing up.

In response to the original posting about John Medica's Castles and Gardens, I'd like to point out that the castles and garden are fenced to keep out the deer, rather than specifically to exclude people. The gardens are not regularly opened even once a year.