Hearst Castle 2007
In 1865, George Hearst, a wealthy miner, purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Piedra Blanca, San Simeon and Santa Rosa. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst, inherited the land from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst. By then the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres. Originally nicknamed “Camp Hill,” its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to “rough it” on camping trips. While the arrangements for these trips were elaborate, with separate sleeping and dining tents, they would not satisfy Hearst for long. In 1919, his instructions to famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan were simple, “...Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something...”
Hearst and Morgan’s collaboration was destined to become one of the world’s greatest showplaces. As they were planning and constructing his dream home, Hearst renamed the rocky pe
Nov 6, 2007
Photos: 106