New castle owner explores visitation options

The Hard Luck Mine Castle in Esmeralda County has a new owner.

Richard Socher, an entrepreneur from the Bay Area who purchased Hard Luck Castle in February said he plans to use the property as an Airbnb.

“I’m hoping to share this beautiful spot with more people and see if people can appreciate the beauty of the desert,” Socher said in a phone interview with the Pahrump Valley Times.

“My main goal is to create a space for people to come together. Airbnb is one such way but we’ll explore others, including events,” he said.

The property has an 8,000-square-foot home with 16-inch-thick cinderblock, concrete and steel walls.

Hard Luck Mine Castle uses several off-grid resources, including solar and wind. It has a water hauling trailer, diesel generator, and a 3,000-gallon propane tank. It also has a glass solarium, planetarium, and fountain room.

It has 22 rooms with two kitchens, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a wine cellar, theater and game room, and a great room featuring a 1920’s pipe organ. Numerous outbuildings on the property include a work/automotive shop, miner’s cabin, shower house, power home, and a gold mine tunnel.

Socher said he had been looking for a ghost town property for a while. He said he loves the desert and enjoys taking trips to nearby Death Valley National Park.

“I most like the proximity to Death Valley, the solitude and beauty of the desert, off-roading, exploring gold-rush mining history and of course, living in a legit massive and beautiful castle,” he said.

To get Hard Luck Mine Castle ready for future visitors, he plans to upgrade the infrastructure of the property.

“We are looking into all kinds of infrastructure to make it a really nice spot,” he said.

The previous owner of the property built it between 2000 and 2012. The Hard Luck Mine Castle has only been listed on the market once. It went on the market for $1.2 million on Oct. 15, 2018, and went into escrow on Sept. 9, 2020, however it was back on the market on Dec. 16, 2020.

“It will be one of the most unique Airbnb’s in the country,” Socher said.