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All the United States California Cambria Nitt Witt Ridge
Nitt Witt Ridge is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Nitt Witt Ridge

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

Cambria, California

Added By
Mike Bison
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  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
  Avoiding Regret
  zackofalltrades
Upper breezeway at Nitt Witt Ridge   kgibsone / Atlas Obscura User
Bedroom   kgibsone / Atlas Obscura User
Sewing machine and one of many paint-by-number paintings   kgibsone / Atlas Obscura User
Mirror Toilet on the Roof   davetaramachin / Atlas Obscura User
Bullet Casing Adornments   davetaramachin / Atlas Obscura User
His and Hers Toilets in the Outhouse   davetaramachin / Atlas Obscura User
This man loved his paint-by-number   kgibsone / Atlas Obscura User
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About

With a mere pickax and shovel, no formal training, and the aid of natural materials and trash collected from his garbage route, Art Beal, also known as Captain Nitt Witt or Der Tinkerpaw, spent 51 years chiseling out this "castle on a hill," thereafter known as Nitt Witt Ridge.

The castle is comprised mostly of stone, cement, abalone shells, and beer cans. Other parts are "borrowed" remnants from the nearby Hearst Castle, where Beal worked for a time. The massive Nitt Witt Ridge includes stone arches and walkways, long decks and strange gardens, and emphasizes Beal's great sense of humor and love of nature.

Related Tags

Outsider Architecture Eccentric Homes Houses Homes

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Permanently closed to the public. 

Community Contributors

Added By

mbison

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, cloverdaledave, zackofalltrades, kgibsone...

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • cloverdaledave
  • zackofalltrades
  • kgibsone
  • davetaramachin
  • jlord7
  • dawncampbell2013

Published

May 16, 2010

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Nitt Witt Ridge
881 Hillcrest Drive
Cambria, California, 93428
United States
35.567384, -121.096886
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hearst Castle

San Simeon, California

miles away

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

San Simeon, California

miles away

Morro Rock

Morro Bay, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cambria

Cambria

California

Places 2

Nearby Places

Hearst Castle

San Simeon, California

miles away

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

San Simeon, California

miles away

Morro Rock

Morro Bay, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cambria

Cambria

California

Places 2

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