Hearst Castle: The Incredibly Extravagant Estate of Newspaper Magnate William Randolph Hearst
by Michele Cameron Drew on 15/02/09 at 6:58 am
Once an amazing ocean retreat for the upper echelon of wealthy celebrities throughout history, particularly in the 1920s and 30s, Hearst Castle is now one of the most visited attractions in California and the United States.
Location
Ninety miles south of Carmel at the southernmost part of the Big Sur coast near San Simeon and Cambria, in San Luis Obispo County, lies Hearst Castle the fascinating and magnificent estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
History
Built from 1919-1947 by well known architect Julia Morgan of San Francisco, on a 40,000-acre ranch was purchased by the father of William Randolph Hearst, wealthy miner George Hearst in 1865. The castle was designed around the eccentric style of William Randolph Hearst. His love of antiques with functionality is not something to be missed.
Once an amazing ocean retreat for the upper echelon of wealthy celebrities throughout history, particularly in the 1920’s and 30’s, an invitation to visit the castle was a highly coveted item. Hearst Castle is now one of the most visited attractions in California and the United States.
Features
With a facade patterned after a Spanish cathedral, the castle boasts more than 90,000 sq ft of living area. The art, antiques, and entire ceilings that Hearst acquired from Europe and Egypt, will give you an experience that you won’t find anywhere else. Fashioned to imitate great European architecture he had seen in his extensive travels, the castle consists of over 165 rooms, individual artifacts, Renaissance art, decorative swimming pools, beautiful gardens and walking paths. There are more than 40 private fireplaces throughout the castle. Hearst Castle is so big and there are so many details, that it would be impossible to see it all in one visit.
Today
After Hearst died and family fortunes declined, Hearst Castle was donated to the state of California by the Hearst Corporation. The state Park Service now preserves Hearst Castle as a State Historical Monument, and offers daily tours of this historic estate and its breathtaking 127 acres. Hearst Castle dons its extravagant Christmas decor between November and early January every year and is an incredible vision. Today, we can all appreciate a glimpse into the incredibly extravagant lifestyle of the Hearsts.
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26 Comments
Maria Blazz
Feb 15th, 2009
OMG… California must be one of the places that concentrates the most expensive houses of the world…
Patrick Bernauw
Feb 15th, 2009
WOW article!
r j grant
Feb 15th, 2009
Really cool place to visit.
Hearst had a fascinating life- it is fun to imagine the guests that filled those rooms during its hay-day.
Nice job!
Grant
BC Doan
Feb 15th, 2009
What a fascinating place, and wonderful article, Michele!
Glynis Smy
Feb 15th, 2009
very luxurious, great article.
Debra.
Feb 15th, 2009
Really nice article!
Francois Hagnere
Feb 15th, 2009
Inspired by all styles of architecture and mainly European, Hearst castle is really something. What an excellent read Michele,
Take care,
Your friend, François
Christy Tuller
Feb 15th, 2009
I have visited Hearst Castle several times over the years and it never ceases to amaze me. It is even more stunning than the photos you show here. Wonderful article and great photos. It is worth a visit.
Darla Smith
Feb 15th, 2009
Great article and beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing.
papaleng
Feb 15th, 2009
a great article and remarkable photos.
LBA
Feb 15th, 2009
loved your article and photos
Liane Schmidt
Feb 15th, 2009
I LOVE Hearst Castle – been about 3 times and it’s wonderful – nice article and pictures!!
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
R J Evans
Feb 15th, 2009
Loved it! Never been there but it would be close to the top of my list is I ever ventured to CA (if you had seen the ads their tourist board put on here in the UK you would know why not!).
Blogged it – hope that’s OK! You can find it at:-
http://www.webphemera.com/2009/02/hearst-castle-heart-of-decadence.html
Hope it gets zillions of hits!
Tel Asiado
Feb 15th, 2009
Thanks for the great info.
Morgana
Feb 15th, 2009
Absolutely gorgeous. I can’t imagine how it would have been living there.
lanne
Feb 15th, 2009
I could get to feeling right at home here. Nice article
Anne Lyken Garner
Feb 16th, 2009
Truly stunning.
Bo Jack Russo
Feb 16th, 2009
I went there with my dad when I was a kid,had forgotten all about it.I was a little suprised there was no mention of Patty Hearst.Great pictures too.
Lauren Axelrod
Feb 17th, 2009
Wow, this place is spectacular. I would love to take a dip in that pool.
MMV Abad
Feb 21st, 2009
This place is beautiful. Nice article, Michele
Anne McNew
Feb 27th, 2009
wow! I’ve never been to spectacular places such this lol.
thanks for the quick tour
Vikram Chhabra
Mar 8th, 2009
This is an awesome place. I must visit it!! Thanks for posting!!
Elizabeth Abbott
Apr 2nd, 2009
Your script I enjoyed. The photos are fitting and the content I look for when I read an article. I enjoyed the entire article. Thank you. Liz P. S. Also inspiring.
Inna Tysoe
Apr 4th, 2009
You article does Hearst Castle justice.
Sincerely,
Inna
Mr Ghaz
May 17th, 2009
Excellent! .Thats really wonderful and well presented piece..LOV it..well done and thanks for sharing
Maria
Oct 10th, 2009
Hello Michel,
Thank you for your post. I really enjoyed reading it and I like how you included the history of the castle. I found your post while researching for a post on the things to do during a West Coast Road Trip, for the Fox Rent A Car Blog. We try, there, to inform travelers on different sites to visit and insight on what they can expect. Your post is a great example of the kind of information we try to give.
Thank you again for sharing.
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