Stimson House, Historical mansion in University Park, Los Angeles, United States

Stimson House is a large residential building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style located in Los Angeles, built with red stone from New Mexico and decorated with detailed sandstone work. A prominent four-story Gothic tower rises from the structure, and the interior contains varied architectural details throughout its rooms.

The house was built in 1891 for a wealthy businessman and was the most expensive residential building in Los Angeles at that time. An unexpected event in 1896 tested its strength when an explosive device was placed against its foundation.

The house is nicknamed "the Castle" or "the Red Castle" for its red-stone walls and four-story tower. Its first-floor rooms each use a different wood — ash, sycamore, birch, mahogany, walnut, gumwood and oak shipped from Midwest lumber yards — and the heavy doors are double-thick to match the wood on either side.

The house stands on South Figueroa Street in the West Adams district, within the University Park area of Los Angeles. It is a private residence today, not student housing, so the interior is not open to visitors; the red-stone facade, four-story tower and crenellated roofline can be seen from the public street.

In 1896 the property survived a dynamite attack when explosives were placed against its foundation, leaving a large crater. Despite this violence, the structure proved its remarkable strength and remained fundamentally undamaged.