Continue conservation and restoration projects at the James Castle House by saving the historic shed and trailer and making these architectural artifacts accessible to the public.
James Castle’s shed was built around 1910, well before the Castle family moved to this property. At some time in the early 1930s Castle moved into the shed and made it serve his needs as a bedroom and studio. From that point until 1963 this was the center of his artmaking. In 1963 the steady sale of his drawings brought enough income for his family to purchase the Cozy Cottage trailer for Castle, into which he moved. Although secondhand, the trailer represented a significant upgrade in Castle’s living situation from the nearby shed he had inhabited for thirty years. All accounts suggest he was delighted with his new home and workspace. The purchase fulfilled Castle’s longstanding wish for a place of his own. The trailer served as Castle’s home and studio for the remaining fifteen years of his life.
The James Castle Collection and Archive gifted the City the trailer. It is in storage awaiting conservation.
Your donation can help make the preservation and exhibition of it possible.
Today the shed is undergoing conservation efforts to preserve a structure never intended to survive more than a century of use. This work continues to inform our understanding of how Castle lived and created art and is a legacy for the future.
Your donation can advance this important preservation work.