Inferno ravages landmark castle and church
Two of Malibu’s most prominent and beloved landmarks -- one a palace of secular dreams and the other a center of religious devotion -- were destroyed Sunday.
Lost to the flames was the Castle Kashan, the fairy-tale-like structure that stood for 30 years atop a Malibu hill, recognizable from below by its turrets and round towers. Also ravaged was Malibu Presbyterian Church, a high-steepled place of prayer and community action that had barely escaped destruction in the November 1993 infernos, which burned more than 300 homes in Malibu, Topanga and Calabasas.
The castle, filled with paintings and Elvis Presley memorabilia, was one of several homes of socialite-philanthropist Lilly Lawrence, known as “Princess Lilly.” Castle Kashan was named after the village of her father, Reza Fallah, a former Iranian oil minister under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
About 6:30 a.m., Lawrence and a house guest were trapped inside her sprawling home, but they managed to escape.
Wearing a bathrobe, slippers and oversized sunglasses, Lawrence returned later to survey the wreckage and retrieve some belongings and emerged about 1:40 p.m. with friends carrying shopping bags. She thanked firefighters who remained outside battling the blaze.
“My possessions don’t possess me. My house does not possess me,” she told them. “I’m thinking about our boys in Iraq. I’m thinking about you boys.”
Earlier this year, the six-bedroom, eight-bathroom castle overlooking Malibu Lagoon was listed for sale at $17 million. The 10,500-square-foot compound was in escrow briefly -- “for a minute” -- at an undisclosed price before Lawrence canceled the sale, she said Sunday. Lawrence said might consider rebuilding: “I’m keeping an open mind.”
The mansion was built in 1978 by a doctor, Thomas Hodges. Lawrence bought it in 1998 and spent a considerable fortune on remodeling. Television shows such as “The Rockford Files” were shot there and the castle was available to rent for weddings amid its romantic archways and lion sculptures.
Lost in the fire were many works of art, family heirlooms, Faberge eggs and museum-worthy collections. Lawrence’s library included signed photos from U.S. presidents.
Firefighters were able to rescue a few paintings, including one believed to be a portrait of Lawrence’s father, and piled some furniture and mementos in a dry fountain outside the house. Included was a snapshot of a woman shaking hands with President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The castle’s staircase was red-carpeted and a Cinderella-like glass slipper was kept on a step, attesting to Lawrence’s humor and style.
An incongruous feature was the rock ‘n’ roll room that Lawrence, a die-hard Elvis fan, had decorated with the couch-like seat from a 1959 Cadillac and a “Gates of Graceland” mural. Lawrence said among the few things she grabbed during her evacuation were Presley’s Army fatigues, which she bought many years ago from Graceland.
In November 1993, fire had come up to the front door of Malibu Presbyterian Church. On Sunday, things turned out much worse for the 60-year-old house of worship, which has a congregation of more than 450 people.
Its modern sanctuary, remodeled in 1984, was left a collection of charred, twisted wood and concrete columns. Its steeple and cross were gone, as was the large glass window that offered million-dollar Pacific views.
“We will rebuild. We will gather together. We will plan and be stronger,” said the church’s pastor, Greg Hughes, who was surveying the damage.
The church on Malibu Canyon Road had been a beehive of activities all week, with a preschool for about 90 children, programs for college students from nearby Pepperdine University and meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.
“You knew from the outside, this was a church, but inside it was very casual,” Hughes said. “We are a very casual beach community. People would come to worship in their shorts and flip-flops.”
The pastor, called up to the church hours before the scheduled start of Sunday morning services, was at first told by firefighters that it was not immediately threatened. He and colleagues removed important documents and computers from the hilltop building. But it wasn’t long before Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies told them to leave.
“When we did, embers were flying, and we knew that that was a wise decision,” Hughes said. “I got home turned on the TV and we watched it burn down.”
In 1993, the church was heavily involved in efforts to give material and spiritual balm to community members, including about 20 congregants, who had lost their homes to the blazes then.
Soon after that fire, an ecumenical Sunday service was held there to express gratitude for firefighters and sympathy for victims. The lower level of the church was given over to the American Red Cross for the disaster efforts, offering counseling and financial assistance there.
On Sunday, church officials were considering offers from other churches and synagogues to house Malibu Presbyterian services and programs.
“We are a very dynamic congregation,” said Jim Ludwig, an elder at Malibu Presbyterian. “We’re not going to go away, in terms of our ministry. I just feel very much that God will turn this into a positive, into a better future for us.”
In November 1997, the church found itself in the news by surprise. President Clinton, who was staying nearby for a Democratic fundraising trip, stunned the congregation by attending their 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship service.
ann.brenhoff@latimes.com
jack.leonard@latimes.com
