MORGAN HILL, Calif. — Think of it as the ultimate ivory tower for academics: a castle inspired by Spain's Alhambra, with sun-dappled courtyards, artisan-crafted frescoes, grottos, fountains and a patio with 12 marble lions that spit water every hour on the hour.
But instead of housing nobles atop an Iberian hill, the newest fortress will be a quiet retreat for mathematicians next to a golf course in Silicon Valley.
The castle, which the Morgan Hill City Council approved last month, will be the new headquarters of the American Institute of Mathematics. It's expected to be complete by 2009.
The institute and the castle are the brainchild of electronics retailer John Fry, who owns the nearby links and plans to donate his impressive collection of historical documents — including original math texts and writings of Nobel Prize winners such as Albert Einstein — to the institute's library.
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Fry, the media-shunning co-founder and chief executive of Fry's Electronics Inc., refused requests to be interviewed about the castle he's funding.
The 167,000-square-foot palace — bigger than a typical Wal-Mart — is rumored to cost more than $50 million, although people involved in the project say no one will know the true cost until it's finished.
The retail magnate, who studied math at Santa Clara University, is taking a hands-on role in everything from the design to the selection of tile artisans and wood workers.
He spent five days in the Alhambra, exploring villas, chambers and salons with Scott Stotler, a consultant who for years has been tweaking the design to Fry's specifications.
Stotler, head of Stotler Design Group, emphasized that the math castle is going to be a homage to the Alhambra, not a replica. It will have unabashedly modern touches, including 30,000 square feet of underground parking and a gourmet-industrial kitchen.
The Alhambra, built primarily between 1248 and 1354, bursts with geometric patterns in every arabesque, column, garden and reflecting pool.
It included running water and a medieval climate-control system envied throughout Europe and the Islamic world.
"The interesting geometric patterns ... they're perfect for mathematicians," said institute Executive Director Brian Conrey. "Mathematicians have a tradition of communing with nature while thinking about deep questions. It's inspiring to be in a location that lets you ponder the things mathematicians like to think about, and Morgan Hill will be just such a place."
The castle will replace a vacant restaurant on 190 acres of Fry family property south of San Jose.
"The interesting geometric patterns ... they're perfect."
Brian Conrey
American Institute of Mathematics
