Benedict Castle was built to fill a life long dream of Charles Benedict an affluent  New Yorker who traveled Europe instead of going to college.  The Castle was named after his mother, so it was known as Castillo Isabella. It took ten years to build and two wives later; it was completed in 1931. It is patterned after the Alhambra Castle in Spain.  He merged Spanish-Moorish and Mission Revival architectures  throughout the structure. It has a twin staircase in the vestibule.  The design was executed by famed architect Henry Jekel who designed the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.

Charles Benedict died of a heart attack in 1938 and his wife of 12 years lived alone until 1949 when it was auctioned off for a mere $52,000.  The cost of construction was an estimated $300,000 in the 1920’s Two business men owned it for about two years and then the Servite Order of the Catholic Church bought it and made it into a seminary and built a dormitory and classrooms for the monks. 

Then in 1971 the Servite Fathers decided to sell the Castle and move east.  It was then that Teen Challenge in need of a facility bought it.  Teen Challenge is part of a national Christian program providing assistance to people with life-controlling problems since 1958.  We have over 900 Centers around the world.

As an act of good will we offer the Benedict Castle as a venue for weddings, receptions, anniversaries, award banquets and corporate events. The grounds are beautifully landscaped giving the ambiance of the private estate it once was.  We are listed as an historical landmark #13 in Riverside.