El Cid Castle was a landmark structure located on the opposite side of the western boundary of Sunnyslope, Arizona. The controversial castle, built by the late Dr. Kenneth Hall, was supposed to be a bowling alley which resembled a Moorish Castle. Construction on the structure began in 1963 and was completed in 1980.

History

Dr. Kenneth E. Hall

Dr. Kenneth E. Hall was born in Oklahoma. During World War II, Hall enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, graduated from the

University of Arkansas Medical School The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is a public health sciences university in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is part of the University of Arkansas System and consists of six colleges, seven institutes, several research centers, a s ...

, and was honorably discharged after a brief deployment to Italy in 1945. In 1948, he moved with his family to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. Dr. Hall established clinics in South Phoenix and Sunnyslope (Sunnyslope was not part of Phoenix at the time).”Arizona Republic iPhoenix, Arizona Friday, January 22, 1971 Page 5’ Dr. Hall wanted to be known as the “King of Sunnyslope” and built the biggest house in Sunnyslope. Sunnyslope had attempted to be incorporated as its own town on four occasions but failed every time. In 1959, the City of Phoenix annexed the community of Sunnyslope. By then, Dr. Hall operated the North Mountain Hospital, a 40-bed hospital in Sunnyslope, which he built in 1955. The hospital had a primate zoo located on the hospital grounds.

El Cid Castle

Dr. Hall felt that the growing population of Sunnyslope needed recreational facilities and therefore in 1963, he illegally diverted $16,564 in Medicare funds to help in the construction of a bowling alley which resembled a Moorish Castle. The castle was to be a 65,000-square-foot building under one roof in 20 acres of land at 19th Avenue and Cholla Street. The venture was to include thirty-two bowling alley lanes, an ice skating rink, four recreation rooms for teenagers and a snack bar. The castle was also supposed to include multiple nightclubs and a French restaurant. It was named " El Cid", after an 11th-century

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

hero whose life was depicted in a Hollywood motion picture in 1961.

Downfall of Dr. Hall and closure of El Cid Castle

Dr. Hall believed that El Cid Castle would be the first of a nationwide chain of bowling allies which would be called Spanish Trails. However, the castle was completed in 1980, almost twenty years after its construction began."Diagnosis Bananas'; by Douglas Towne; Phoenix Files History
/ref> Various factors contributed to the downfall of Dr. Hall and the eventual failure of El Cid. Dr. Hall had been performing unsanctioned medical operations, and his physician’s license was revoked in 1971 after four patients died during gastric bypass surgery. In 1974, he pleaded guilty to diverting thousands of dollars in Medicare funds to help build the castle. Dr. Hall was bankrupt, and in 1982 “El Cid Castle” bowling alley closed after one year of operation. Dr. Hall lost the building in order to settle a malpractice suit.

Later years

Dr. Hall died in 2001, at age 80, of heart failure. The building later served as a furniture store, an educational facility, church and a sports club. The structure, which was empty for sometime, was purchased by the State of Arizona for a new Department of Economic Security office complex. It was remodeled and no longer looks like a castle. In January 2015, the Arizona Department of Economic Security opened the doors of its new facility.

Historic “El Cid Castle”

The historic "El Cid Castle" was a bowling alley which resembled a Moorish Castle. It was built by the late Dr. Kenneth Hall, a physician who served the Community of Sunnyslope in Phoenix. Construction on the structure began in 1963 and was completed in 1980. It is located at the Northwest corner of 19th Ave and West Cholla Drive which technically is on the opposite side Sunnyslope's western boundary.

References

External links

Sunnyslope History from the Sunnyslope Historical Society and Museum

* ttp://www.modernphoenix.net/sunnyslope.htm There's No Place Like Sunnyslope by The Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network {{coord, 33.5902, -112.1010, display=title History of Phoenix, Arizona Buildings and structures in Phoenix, Arizona Buildings and structures completed in 1980