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A weekend trip to Hearst Castle
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Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle (Photo: Ed Uyeshima)
In the Marin Independent Journal this past Saturday, there was an intriguing article that poses the question of whether filmmaker George Lucas is making a direct copy of Hearst Castle in his design of an elaborate digital film production studio proposed for Lucas Valley. Great egos must think alike, for no matter how many times I think about the place, Hearst Castle remains a symbol both awe-inspiring and ostentatious, an erratic seesaw between the sublime and the ridiculous. One cannot help but be impressed by the riches that could have afforded such a stunning location and an architectural wonder. At the same time, one also cannot avoid thinking of the hubris it took for media maven William Randolph Hearst to fulfill his dream of a “ranch” to entertain friends and family. It is truly a reflection of not only his wealth but also his megalomania which inspired Orson Welles to make his classic debut film, “Citizen Kane”.
It all began in 1865 when Hearst’s father George, who made his fortune during the California Gold Rush, purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Piedras Blancas, San Simeon and Santa Rosa. In 1919, William inherited the land from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst. By that time, the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres. He decided to build a cabin on the hill of his childhood memories. Originally known as "Camp Hill", its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. However, he wanted more comfortable accommodations for his guests and contacted famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to design a place to his specifications. Work began in 1919 and tenaciously continued until 1947 when Hearst became too ill to continue living there.
The result is astonishing in scale: 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world's largest private zoo. The zoo is long gone, but the rest remains surprisingly intact today. First-timers to the castle usually take the $24 Experience Tour, which starts at the Visitors Center down below right off Highway One. They are led to the adjacent IMAX theater where they get a solid sense of the history by watching an informative forty-minute film called "Hearst Castle: Building the Dream" (also available on DVD). After that, everyone boards a bus at an appointed time to take the winding, five-mile journey up to the castle entrance. There an enthusiastic, rule-instructing docent greets the visitors at the foot of Casa Del Sol, the biggest of three guesthouses on the property.
The first stop is the terrace of Casa Del Sol with a panoramic view of the Pacific far below. Then it is on to one of the world’s most famous swimming pools, the Grecian-inspired Neptune Pool. A walkthrough of the Casa Del Sol is next and then a stroll in the Gardens. The high point comes with a visit to the cathedral-like main residence, Casa Grande. Elaborate tapestries and invaluable artwork fill the darkened Assembly Room. This is followed by a walk through the Billiards Room and then the Refectory where Hearst’s guests would be seated according to how much he liked them. Simple boy at heart, he always had ketchup and mustard on the table no matter what dinner was being served. The last stop is the indoor Roman Pool almost too exquisite in its mosaic detail to consider taking a dip. The bus then takes everyone back to the Visitors Center to the strains of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. There are seven other tours that focus on more focused aspects of the castle. Take advantage and live like a media mogul if only for a couple of hours.
Looking for more weekend trip ideas? Read these suggestions from the SF Travel Examiner.
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