Gearbox co-founder/CEO/magician Randy Pitchford has bought The Magic Castle. It’s an iconic Hollywood property that’s both home to The Academy of Magical Arts (AMA), and has also been the subject of serious allegations of a “variety of abuses, including sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of race or gender.”
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Those allegations against the Academy, first made public in a report by the LA Times in 2020, can be read here. They’ve loomed over the organisation, and the building, ever since, though as this more recent report shows, some of the magicians performing there (and the Academy itself) have been trying to implement changes.
Pitchford didn’t disclose how much he paid for the historic building—which was named a “Cultural Monument” by the city in 1989—though he is its first new owner in over 50 years, with The Magic Castle having been in the Glover family since 1961.
“The Magic Castle is like bedrock–the center point of magic. The people who think of the Castle as their home and the place itself seem to have magical properties that have created and inspired some of the world’s greatest entertainers,” Pitchford, himself a member of the AMA, said in a statement. “I’m proud to be trusted to both give back to the place that made me to become the custodian of the Magic Castle and to work with its members and the Larsen family to ensure our most incredible club house grows and thrives for decades to come.”
If you’re curious, here’s what the place looks like:
Ah, sorry. Here’s what the place looks like:
Magic duo Penn & Teller also commented (or at least wrote) on the sale:
