Van Nuys Castle Amid the Wasteland

It is not surprising to read that a neighbor who had covered a flower-decked greenbelt area of her home with concrete referred to the Bond Castle as a “monstrosity.”

Van Nuys, as indeed appears true of all too many communities, is a cultural wasteland, where concrete in the name of additional parking is preferred to the beauty that the castle instills with its attention to open space, curvilinear architectural design and color schemes that blend with the rich variety of flora that characterizes the gigantic greenbelt referred to as Chandler Boulevard.

I brought the castle to Van Nuys as a statement: We have so many of the Encinos and Tarzanas in the county that I wanted to place my dream in an area that cries out for greater investment of time, energy, effort and capital. Less affluent Van Nuys deserves such a place. Valley College is one of the few places where cultural entertainment is available in the greater Van Nuys community.

The Towers of Van Nuys beckon those who seek an architectural marvel with its Great Hall that will serve as a cultural center providing, on an intimate scale, classical concerts, art and sculpture exhibitions, poetry readings, lectures and other activities that maintain and propagate the living arts. It is my intention ultimately to benefit all people who seek such outlets in a medieval castle setting, through the creation of a trust with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department or other appropriate public agency.

ROBERT J. BOND

Van Nuys

Bond, a professor of real estate, finance and investments at Valley College, owns the house at Chandler Boulevard and Fulton Street described in an article on June 18.