Entry No. 30 — the Santa Cruz file — filed under: glassblowing
Holy City Art Glass
A working glassblowing studio operates inside the crumbling remains of Holy City, a 1919 celibate cult compound that once ran its own radio station, zoo, and observatory before Highway 17 bypassed it into ruin. The Stanton family has blown glass here since 1978, calling the spot "a sanctuary for artists and misfits."
The story
Before Highway 17 sliced through the Santa Cruz Mountains, drivers taking the winding Old Santa Cruz Highway rolled straight through Holy City—a bizarre 1919 celibate cult compound complete with its own radio station, zoo, and roadside observatory. When the state re-routed traffic onto the main highway, the cult collapsed into bankruptcy, leaving behind weather-beaten wooden structures along a road that went overnight from a bustling mountain transit corridor to a forgotten bypass.
In 1978, glassblower Tom Stanton and his family moved into one of the surviving low-slung commercial buildings on the strip, establishing Holy City Art Glass. Rather than bulldozing the site's bizarre history, the Stantons embraced the ghost-town backdrop, turning the spot into a working studio and self-described sanctuary for artists and misfits operating among the skeletal remains of the old commune.
What it's like
You'll pull off Old Santa Cruz Highway into a roadside scene that feels paused in the mid-20th century. The glassblowing studio occupies a low-built commercial structure surrounded by sagging wooden shells from the original cult compound. On weekday afternoons when work is underway, you can watch molten glass being shaped through the studio windows. Double-check operating status before making the drive up the mountain—hours can be unpredictable—but walking the asphalt past the crumbling ghost-town ruins is always open.
The move: Go on a weekday afternoon (open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm), watch a hand-blown glass demo through the studio windows, then walk the road past the dilapidated shells of the old ghost-town buildings still standing nearby.
- 📍 Santa Cruz Mountains, near Los Gatos (Old Santa Cruz Highway)
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Old Santa Cruz Highway, Holy City, CA 95033 (near Los Gatos)
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Perfumer's Apprentice — Pair a stop at this mountain glassblowing ruin with a hands-on fragrance workshop just down the hill in Scotts Valley.
- The River Run at Brookdale Lodge — Double down on Santa Cruz Mountain history by heading to Brookdale, where a real creek flows straight through a vintage lodge dining room.
- Old Lime Kiln Ruins — Match the 1920s cult ghost town with 19th-century stone lime kiln ruins hidden deep in the forest at Henry Cowell Redwoods.
- The Mystery Spot — Continue the roadside oddity run down toward Santa Cruz with this classic 1940s mountain gravity hill.
Good to know
What was Holy City before the glass studio opened?
It was a 1919 celibate cult compound founded along the main mountain highway, running its own radio station, zoo, and tourist attractions until Highway 17 bypassed the stretch.
Who runs Holy City Art Glass?
Tom Stanton and the Stanton family have operated the working glassblowing studio on the site since 1978.
Where is the studio located?
It sits at 21200 Old Santa Cruz Highway in Holy City, in the Santa Cruz Mountains just south of Los Gatos.
Are the cult ruins visible from the road?
Yes, several dilapidated wooden structures and commercial shells from the 1920s compound still stand along Old Santa Cruz Highway right near the studio.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · sfgate.com · eastbaytimes.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-07-20