Hearst Castle

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thomasortega

thomasortega

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Folks, last Sunday I went to the Hearst Castle in California for the first time, with two friends that were visiting from Brazil.

Honestly, I had absolutely no idea the castle existed, or Mr. Hearst. Actually, I drove to Los Angeles to the Castle having no clue about what I was going to find there.

We arrived, bought the tickets (I still had no clue) and we went to the gift shop to kill some time until the time to take the shuttle bus to the castle. Then I saw a giant poster of the castle and said "WOW".

The visit started right n front of one of the "small" cottages, and i thought "WOW, the castle isn't that big, but it's impressive anyway. A few steps later, I saw the external pool. OMFG! It's probably the biggest and the most impressive swimming pool I've ever seen in my whole life! But wait.... a "castle" that small and a swimming pool that big? Something here doesn't match.

A few more steps, we arrived in front of the castle, the "Casa Grande". OMG again, I almost fainted, excited. So beautiful and at the same time so weird, a mix of styles, elements not matching at all. Greek gods statues right next to a roman catholic style building that looks like a church and right after you pass the main door the ceiling has Muslim inscriptions? WTF?

The guide explained that Mr Hearst was like that. If he liked it, he wanted to have it, no matter if it would match or not.

Of course I kept my eyes wide open looking for the castle infrastructure and obviously appliances. Interesting heating systems (electric and steam radiators), Otis elevators, a kitchen that I could just peek inside as it wasn't part of the tour I purchased and of course.... THE LAUNDRY ROOM!

I couldn't walk in the laundry room, but I glued to the guide almost like a tick making zillions of questions. I buzzed him so much that he opened the door and let me peek inside for less than 10 seconds. Time enough to see several washers installed side by side. I could identify a couple of Bendix "diving bell" washers and other washers that were really weird.

The tour ended with the indoor "roman" swimming pool. again, majestic. I'd die for 5 minutes swimming there.

Anyway, I've visited dozens of castles all over the world (specially Europe). They all have one or other special thing to make them unforgettable but I'm truly fascinated by the Hearst Castle and I'd like to know if you guys know more about its infrastructure.

By the way, as soon as I can, I want to go there again. The guide told me they have a personalized group tour (That I can imagine it costs a fortune) and I have already emailed them asking for more information. Does anybody want to join me and split the tour costs?
 
I've lived in California since I was 11 and heard about Hearst Castle, but never been there. I knew about the , well, eclectic nature of it, but it would still be fascinating. I think it was filmed in the Orson Wells pseud bio about Hearst, "Citizen Kane". One of these days I'd like to see it.

 
 
I’m so glad that you enjoyed your visit to the Hearst Castle Thomas. I’ve been there 3 times, the first time in 1963 when I was 12. As soon as we got home I immediately checked out a biography on WR Hearst. He was quite an influence on the country with his newspaper empire. His father made his fortune in silver mines in Colorado. The property on which the Hearst Castle is built was originally used by the Hearst Family as a campground of sorts. WR always referred to the property as ‘The Ranch”, and insisted that there be no tablecloths on the dining tables and that the condiments by on the tables in their original containers, as a sign that they were “roughing it” on “The Ranch”. The architect for the Castle was the renowned Julia Morgan from Berkeley, Calif.

Hearst toured Europe endlessly during the 20’s and early 30’s, buying up art and furnishings that he stored in warehouses for eventual use in the castle. At one point in early 30’s, he almost went bankrupt and if his mistress, actress Marion Davies hadn’t bailed him out he’d have lost it all. She had invested wisely from her earnings as an actress in the production company, “Cosmopolitan Pictures” that WR had set up for her. She stayed by his side to his death in 1951. The Hearst family wouldn’t even allow her to attend his funeral, and ceased delivery of all Hearst newspapers to her home the day he died.

WR and Marion Davies had an out of wedlock daughter, who was born in Europe, and adopted by Marion’s sister and passed off as her biological child, Patricia. This daughter, who always thought Marion was her aunt married the actor, Arthur Lake, who played “Dagwood” in the movie series at the Hearst Castle in the early 40’s. Supposedly, she was told that day of her true parentage. She looked just like WR Hearst, with the same long, equine face. About 30 years ago there was feature article about this in Vanity Fair.

I think that the outdoor “Olympus Pool” is one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever seen. It’s filled with saltwater pumped up the mountain from the Pacific Ocean. And the Cypress trees that line the drive way were brought up the coast, full grown on barges, people that witnessed this said it looked like islands were moving up the coast.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a book or two about Hearst and the castle, its a very fascinating story.

Eddie
 
I was only at the castle once, a little over 20 years ago.  If you live in the Bay Area or L.A., it's not that far a drive, and worth seeing. 

 

I remember being told that Julia Morgan used all cinderblock/reinforced concrete construction under the exterior and interior treatments, which is why the castle didn't suffer any structural damage from the 6.5 San Simeon earthquake in 2003 (see link).

 

It's an interesting place with an even more interesting history. 

 

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Eddie

I will definitely buy the book, but at $299 dollars (in the gift shop) it's quite out of my budget for the next few months as I have more important things to do with the money LOL. Unless, of course, I find it cheaper somewhere else.

Philcobendixduo

Thank you so much for the pictures! That kitchen is as fascinating as the rest of the castle. I'm even more excited now.
 
Probably when you visited the castle, the Neptune pool (external) was empty.

It was leaking badly and the castle spent 10 million dollars to restore it a few years ago. Next step is spending 8 million dollars (estimate) to restore the roman pool (Indoor)

I was lucky, when I went there both pools were full and absolutely immaculate clean. The water was beyond perfect.

Other thing I discovered yesterday watching a youtube video. There's a ritual. in the castle. When the guides retire, by the end of their last tour, they jump in the roman pool wearing their uniforms.
 
Thomas,

There are lots of books on Hearst and the Hearst Castle that you can check out from the library for free, and many that are way less than that $299.00 gift shop offering. I wouldn’t pay that much either.

The first time I went to the Hearst Castle I believe that the Neptune Pool was empty, but the next two times I visited it was full. The Olympus Pool is so remarkable because of the way it was engineered it appears to be about 2 feet in depth across the whole pool, but I believe the deep end is much deeper than most pools normally are, at least 12 feet if I recall correctly.

Hearst was building additions and revisions until the day he died. The last time I was there in 1985 the tour guide showed us a Spanish tiled terrace that had just been discovered during some work on the property. It had been covered up almost immediately after it was finished sometime in the late 30’s early 40’s at WR’s orders because he didn’t like how it turned out. I thought it was beautiful.

In one of the biographies that I read there was a story about how Hearst wanted his guests to awake on Easter morning viewing the hillside near the castle covered in Easter Lilies, so after everyone retired on Saturday night he had a crew of workers, planting countless Easter Lilies under electric lights so his wish could be realized the next morning. Also, once a squirrel got injured by wandering into the castle and having an elevator door hit it. Hearst had that squirrel transported down the hill by limo and flown to the best veterinary hospital for the treatment to save its life.

The Hearst Castle wasn’t used in any of the filming of “Citizen Kane”. Hearst was vehemently opposed to this film and forbade its advertisement in any of his newspapers. One of the things he was particularly unhappy about in the film was the scene where his childhood sled is burned with Orson Wells, who played Kane in the movie mouthing the word “rosebud” . The story goes that this irked him because rosebud was his nickname for a particular part of Marion Davies anatomy, and he was furious that someone close to him had leaked this info to Orson Wells.

In some ways WR Hearst was the early 20th century equivalent to Trump. His publications were known for “Yellow Journalism”, and he had the same my way or the highway attitude.

BTW, the reason he and Davies never married was because his wife, Millicent a devout Catholic refused to divorce him. She remained Mrs. Hearst, all the while having the world witnessing his affair with Davies.

And WR was a very strict moralist about his guest’s conduct. Unmarried couples were required to have separate rooms, and all guests limited to 2 drinks before dinner, even though Marion was an alcoholic and he was carrying on an adulterous affair right under their noses.

Sorry to go on and on, but I’ve always thought that this family story was very interesting.

Eddie
 
The Neptune Pool

was unfinished in 1963, the first time I was there because it was still being worked on at the time of WR’s death in 1951. The plans and all the tiles, including the many 24 carat gold tiles were are there, ready for the pools completion.

When I went back to the Hearst Castle the second time in 1983 the Neptune Pool had been completed by the state, using the original plans and materials that were available.

The Hearst family gave the property to the State of California in 1958 because the taxes and upkeep were too much for them to keep up with. The agreement was that the family could still use the castle on occasion, with prior arrangement. I had a lead worker in the 90’s who’s son was friends with one of the Hearst grandsons, and when this defendant married he had his wedding there, using the Olympus Pool as the setting and my lead workers son was in attendance.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 11/9/2019-13:19]
 
I too spent a glorious 2 days at HC about 11 years ago. I had spent a month reading up on it and peppered the docents with questions!
I had driven from Palm Desert up the 1 highway through LA, Malibu and Santa Barbara. Nasty trip through Malibu! Far too much speed! Finally past SB, things settled down. Approaching the Castle was breathtaking! The ocean on the left and mountains on the right with glimpses of the Castle on the right. I was so eager the next morning to get up to the Castle! I think I took the first or second tour! And another one in the afternoon! Both pools were full and so inviting looking! Was told that the Neptune pool was opened to the public and staff) the last weekend of every tour year (Sept). The Castle indeed is still available to descendants of the family, though the kitchen in not available and only certain bedrooms or cottages are to choose from. There is limited access to hot water and usable bathrooms in the main house! There had been a family wedding just before I was there.
The drive up is amazing and so was Hearst's quest for a water source! It come from several miles away!
IN all, a glorious 2 days with my over-working my credit card in the gift shop!
Truly a dream trip!
I then left there, drove to SF, seeing the Ken Bearing car collection across the Bay and then onto Bellevue, WA. Greg
P.S. When can I go back??!!
Greg
 
Something intriguing i noticed and it's something I want to discover more about.

I noticed some parts of the castle have electrical radiant heating, like the dining room, smoking room and billiard room while other parts have steam radiators, like the Roman pool. other parts have gas heating, like the greenhouse and the grand salon (which also has a giant fireplace)

and something really intriguing... one of the rooms has a gas wall furnace, steam radiator, an electrical radiant heater on the wall AND registers on the floor, which i believe is part of an octopus furnace.

It's understandable the use of different heating systems in different parts of the castle but, why would somebody use FOUR different systems in the same room?

I bet Mr Hearst wasn't really concerned about operational costs. he was filthy rich, eccentric and wouldn't mind paying an absurd electrical or gas bill in the winter.

Having backup systems, well, that's also very understandable... Even nowadays it's normal to have two different systems just in case on fails. but.... FOUR different systems in the same room? Probably 100% of American homes, specially in cold places have a furnace and at least one portable space heater as a backup. other homes were retrofitted and the old system that still works (but not as efficiently) is kept just in case.

Was Mr Hearst a "hot Californian" person that would freeze to death in temperatures below 100° or he was really paranoid about the remove possibility of a main system and the backup system failing at the same time? Or, like the guide said "I'm rich, i can do whatever i want, so let's put four systems in my castle just because i want"?

Correction.... the room i saw also had a fireplace, so count FIVE different heating systems in the same room.
 
Greg you are so right about the drive to HC

it is magnificent! The second time I was there in 1983 we stayed at a motel in San Simeon, and the first night we were there we had probably the very best restaurant meal either David or I have ever had before or since at a lovely restaurant on the PCH in San Simeon, “The Moonraker”. It was simply perfection, and we both still speak of it to this day.

Anyone that has the opportunity to visit this lovely area and the spectacular Hearst Castle should defiantly not pass up the opportunity. It’s truly something you’ll remember for the rest of your days.

Hearst also had a Bavarian Village resort called “Wyntoon”, in Mc Cloud, Calif. near Mt.Shasta. In the late 30’s my Dad’s family lived in Mc Cloud, because my Grandpa worked on the Railroad there. They used to tell stories about how the “Hollywood People” would sweep into town in the summer, with all their fancy trappings. It was quite an event for the simple townspeople of Mc Cloud when the Hearst entourage showed up.

Eddie
 
Rosebud

I went to college at UC Berkeley, and the Hearst name is plastered all over that campus and town.

 

As an aside, I lived on the Southside for a number of years, and guess who lived at the end of our block? Yup, Patty Hearst. I had moved out a few months before she was kidnapped, so I missed that drama, but by chance I had come by later that day to pick up my mail at the old residence. I saw cop cars and a car with bullet holes in the trunk, but didn't know why. The new tenants seemed kind of freaked out and took a while to open the door. When I got home to my new place on the north side, I learned of the event on the evening news.

 

That whole matter gripped the town for quite a while.

 

Oh, and a year or so later, I attended a screening of "Citizen Kane" at the Pacific Film Archive. There was a delay in the start of the film, and a lot of chatter in the crowd. In my best Zippy the Pinhead moment, I asked loudly, "Will Patty be in this?", to some nervous tittering. My friend told me to shut the eff up. Turns out that Patty was, in fact, in attendance, right behind us. She was on the run at the time. LOL.

 

 
 
AFAIK, the hearst foundation sold the castle to California (for $1) with a clause that forbids using the castle for anything commercial...

But after 1/4 million dollar donation from Lady Gaga, California Parks and Administration simply opened their legs and said "come baby".

I wish I had a few billion dollars right now... Only to reach the governor and say "Darling, I want to buy that tiny studio you have. You can keep the old buses."

Maybe If lucky, I'll have some space to build a laundry room that will fit all the machines I want in my collection. hahahahah
 

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