Lyford’s Tower
TIBURON
It wouldn’t be fair to draw too many comparisons between Tiburon’s Benjamin F. Lyford and King Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose turreted fortress Neuschwanstein inspired Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” castle.
Lyford was no “mad king.”
Still, the Civil War surgeon and inventor shared Ludwig’s fondness for fairytale castles, as well as a Victorian-era ambition to be a master builder. After Lyford pioneered techniques in embalming at his San Francisco practice, he moved into real estate development, courtesy of his wife Hilarita Reed, who inherited 9,000 acres of prime land along the Tiburon peninsula.
In 1889, he built his “castle,” a two-story Romanesque-style tower overlooking Angel Island. The circular tower was to serve as his office and the gateway to “Hygeia,” his utopian health resort and residential community for people who wanted to enjoy the peninsula’s stunning scenery, temperate climate and freedom from “elements which retard growth and ultimately destroy life,” according to an 1895 brochure. Lyford’s Hygeia also promised such design and hygiene innovations as water closets and its own sewer system.
Alas, Hygeia never happened, because Lyford imposed too many design and lifestyle restrictions on future homeowners. The Lyford heirs eventually sold off the property, but the name is still attached to the tower and to a nearby cove that’s home to cliffside residences that boast killer views and private yacht ramps. Lyford’s Victorian mansion also can be seen at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, a few miles up the peninsula.
How to get a closer look: The open-air tower, at 2034 Paradise Drive, is always open to the public. But because parking near the tower is virtually nonexistent, visitors should park in downtown Tiburon or near Shoreline Park and stroll up.