Episode 16 - Hearst Castle

Perched high above California's Central Coast, Hearst Castle is one of the most recognizable homes in America. With its soaring bell towers, marble colonnades, lavish pools, and priceless art collection, it feels as though it has stood for centuries. In reality, it is a twentieth-century creation built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and brought to life by architect Julia Morgan.

In this episode, we trace the story of Hearst Castle from Hearst's childhood camping trips on the San Simeon ranch to the rise of his newspaper empire and his obsession with collecting art, antiques, and architectural treasures from across Europe. We explore the remarkable partnership between Hearst and Morgan, the glamorous weekends that drew Hollywood stars and political leaders to the Enchanted Hill, and the financial realities that ultimately left the estate unfinished.

Along the way, we'll meet Marion Davies, examine Hearst's influence on modern media, and discover how a private dream became one of America's most visited historic sites.

Because Hearst Castle was never just a house. It was a museum, a resort, a stage for power and celebrity, and perhaps the ultimate reminder that no home is ever truly finished.

Transcript

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Welcome back to Manner of Fact, where every home has a story to tell. And for this home, it's a never-ending story. Perched high above the Pacific Ocean on California's central coast sits one of the most recognizable homes in America. With its twin bell towers, marble colonnades, ancient statues, and sprawling pools, Hearst Castle looks less like a private residence and more like something transplanted from Europe. First-time visitors often assume it has been standing there for centuries. In reality, it's much stranger than that. Hearst Castle was built during the 20th century by one of the richest and most influential men in America, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. It was assembled piece by piece over nearly three decades using architectural fragments, artwork, and antiques gathered from across Europe and brought to a remote hilltop overlooking the California coast. At its peak, the estate contained guest houses, formal gardens, a private theater, tennis courts, an airfield, and even a zoo stocked with exotic animals. Movie stars, politicians, industrialists, and foreign dignitaries made the long journey to San Simeon to spend weekends as Hearst's guests. Some came for the luxury, others came because an invitation from William Randolph Hearst was difficult to refuse. But the story of Hearst Castle is about much more than wealth. It's the story of a boy who spent summers camping on a vast ranch overlooking the ocean. It's the story of a newspaper empire that helped shape modern America media. It's the story of an architect whose contributions were so extraordinary that many historians now argue she deserves as much credit for the estate as Hearst himself. And it's the story of what happens when someone has enough money, influence, and ambition to build almost anything they can imagine. Because Hearst Castle was never really just a house. It was a personal museum, a private resort, a social stage, and a collection of dreams, memories, and ambitions assembled on a hill that Hearst had loved since childhood. And despite decades of construction, it was never truly finished. This is the story of Hearst Castle. To understand, we have to begin with the man who purchased the land but never lived to see what would be built there. George Hearst was born in 1820 on a small farm in Missouri. His family was not wealthy and his formal education was limited. Like many Americans of his generation, he was drawn west by opportunity. In 1850, as news of California's gold rush spread across the country, Hearst left Missouri and headed for the mining camps of the American West. Unlike many prospectors who spent years chasing rumors and striking out, George Hearst had an unusual talent for recognizing valuable mining properties. He was patient, methodical, and willing to invest in promising claims rather than simply searching for gold himself. Over time, those investments paid off in spectacular fashion. Throughout the second half of the 19th century, Hearst acquired interest in some of the most productive mines in the country, including gold, silver, and lead operations in California, Nevada, South Dakota, and Utah. By the 1880s, he had become one of the wealthiest men in America. His success eventually led him into politics, and he served as United States Senator representing California from 1887 until his death in 1891. But while George Hearst accumulated wealth through mining, his wife Phoebe approached wealth differently. Phoebe Hearst was deeply interested in education, culture, philanthropy, and the arts. Together, they created a life that combined frontier fortune with intellectual ambition, a combination that would profoundly influence their only child, William Randolph Hearst. One of George Hearst's most significant purchases had nothing to do with mining. Beginning in the 1860s, he quietly assembled vast stretches of ranch land along California's central coast near the small community of San Simeon. Over time, the property grew to roughly 250,000 acres. The landscape was rugged and remote. Rolling golden hills stretched towards the Pacific Ocean. Herds of cattle grazed across the ranch. Roads were primitive, and nearby towns were small, so reaching the property could take days. To most people, it would have seemed like an inconvenient place to own land, but to the Hearst family, it became something much more important. During the 1870s and 80s, Phoebe and young William spent extended periods at the ranch. They camped outdoors, rode horseback across the hills, explored the coastline, and looked out across miles of undeveloped California wilderness. Long before there were towers, terraces, or swimming pools, there were tents scattered across the property and campfires overlooking the ocean. William later spoke fondly of these childhood visits, and many historians believe the emotional attachment he developed to San Simeon during those years never left him. At the same time, Phoebe was exposing her son to a very different world. She frequently traveled with William throughout Europe, introducing him to museums, cathedrals, palaces, historic estates, and some of the world's most significant art collections. So while he spent part of the year riding horses across a remote California ranch, he spent another part walking through centuries-old buildings filled with paintings, tapestries, sculpture, and architectural treasures. The contrast was striking. On one hand, William experienced the vast openness of the American West, and on the other, he encountered the grandeur and accumulated history of Europe. Without realizing it, he was being introduced to the two influences that would eventually define Hearst Castle. The ranch at San Simeon gave him the setting, and Europe gave him the inspiration. But for the moment, it remained what it had always been: a working ranch, a childhood refuge, and a place filled with memories. By the mid-1880s, William Randolph Hearst was entering adulthood with advantages few people could imagine. He had attended Harvard, though he never graduated. After repeated disciplinary issues, including organizing elaborate student pranks and funding publications that openly criticized university administrators, he was effectively shun the door. While Harvard may not have worked out, Hearst had found something that interested him far more than academics: newspapers. Several years earlier, George Hearst had acquired the San Francisco Examiner after accepting it as payment for a gambling debt. George viewed the newspaper primarily as a useful political asset. William saw something much larger. At 24 years old, he took control of the examiner and immediately began transforming it. Newspapers were already an important source of information in American life, but Hearst recognized that they could also become a form of mass entertainment. He was about to put that theory to the test. He hired talented writers and invested heavily in illustrations and photography. He filled pages with crime stories, scandals, human interest features, and sensational headlines. Readers were not simply looking for information, they were looking to be entertained. And the formula worked. Circulation climbed rapidly, and Hearst began expanding beyond California. In 1895, he purchased the New York Morning Journal, placing himself in direct competition with another publishing titan, Joseph Pulitzer. What followed became one of the most famous newspaper rivalries in American history. The two men battled for readers with increasingly dramatic headlines, exclusive stories, illustrations, and investigative reporting. Newspapers of the period often blurred the line between journalism and spectacle. The competition became so intense that it helped give rise to the term yellow journalism, a phrase still used today to describe sensationalized reporting designed to attract attention. Hearst embraced the role of disruptor. He understood that controversy generated readership and that personalities sold papers and that outrage could be profitable. Decades before television or social media, Hearst had mastered many of the techniques that still drive modern media. His empire grew quickly. By the early 20th century, Hearst owned newspapers in major cities across the country. He expanded into magazines and other publishing ventures, building a media network unlike anything America had previously seen. At its height, millions of Americans read Hearst publications every day. The influence that came with that reach was enormous. Politicians courted him, celebrities sought his approval, and business leaders watched his coverage closely. There were periods when Hearst newspapers were so influential that critics accused him of wielding power comparable to elected officials. With success came extraordinary wealth, and with wealth came collecting. At first, Hearst purchased art and antiques much as any other wealthy Americans would. But over time the collecting became something else entirely. He bought Renaissance paintings, Flemish tapestries, ancient sculpture, medieval choir stalls, carved ceilings removed from European palaces. He bought fireplaces, doors, mantles, and architectural fragments from buildings hundreds of years old. Sometimes he purchased individual objects, and sometimes he purchased entire rooms. His travels through Europe as a child had left a lasting impression, and now he had the resources to acquire pieces of the world that had once fascinated him. The timing also was working out in his favor. Political instability, changing economics, and the financial pressures facing many aristocratic families meant that historic estates throughout Europe were being dismantled and sold. Hearst became one of the most aggressive buyers in the market. Crates began arriving from across the Atlantic. And then more crates, and then warehouses full of crates. Art dealers learned that Hearst rarely thought small. If a collection became available, he might purchase dozens of pieces at once. If an estate was being broken apart, he might acquire ceilings, furniture, tapestries, and architectural elements all in the same transaction. And before long, he owned far more than he could possibly display. Some purchases remained packed away for years. Others sat in warehouses awaiting a future destination. In certain cases, historians still aren't entirely sure whether Hearst ever saw some of the objects he acquired after they arrived in America. And yet he continued buying. What makes this period so fascinating is that Hearst wasn't simply decorating homes. He was assembling a personal version of history. Every purchase represented a piece of the past that he could possess, preserve, and ultimately place within a larger vision. The problem was that he did not yet have a place large enough to bring that vision together. By the late 1910s, the warehouses were overflowing, his collection was growing, and the ranch at San Simeon still sat largely untouched above the Pacific Ocean. The boy who had once camped in those hills was now one of the most powerful media figures in America, and he was finally ready to build. So Hearst turned his attention back to the ranch that had shaped so much of his childhood. To help bring that vision to life, he hired architect Julia Morgan. Morgan was already a remarkable figure in her own right. She had become the first woman admitted to the prestigious École de Beaux-Arts architecture program in Paris and was California's first licensed female architect. At a time when few women were welcomed into the profession, she had built a reputation for technical brilliance, careful planning, and an ability to solve complex engineering challenges. The partnership between Hearst and Morgan would last for nearly three decades. According to one often repeated story, Hearst wrote to Morgan and said, Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch at San Simeon, and I would like to build a little something. That little something quickly evolved into one of the most ambitious private building projects in American history. Construction began in 1919. Initially, Hearst imagined a large house. Then he wanted guest accommodations, then additional wings, and then towers, and then gardens, and then pools. New ideas arrived almost as quickly as construction crews could execute the previous one. Throughout the process, Morgan served as the steady hand. Hearst generated the vision, Morgan figured out how to make it work. The project grew into a sprawling hilltop estate centered around a main residence known as Casa Grande. Inspired by Spanish cathedrals and Mediterranean architecture, the building featured twin bell towers that could be seen from miles away. Around it, Morgan designed three separate guest houses with expansive terraces, formal gardens, and gathering spaces that took full advantage of the spectacular views overlooking the Pacific. The construction site became a constant hive of activity. Craftsmen, artisans, engineers, gardeners, and laborers worked year-round. Architectural fragments arrived from Europe and were incorporated into rooms as they were completed. Historic ceilings were installed overhead. Antique fireplaces were fitted into newly built walls. Centuries-old pieces of history were being assembled into something entirely new. The Roman pool featured cobalt blue glass tiles and glittering mosaics inspired by ancient Roman bathhouses. Yet despite the scale of the undertaking, Hearst Castle was never built from a single master plan. It evolved continuously, shaped by Hearst's changing interests and Morgan's ability to adapt. And nowhere was that evolution more visible than in the estate's most famous feature. The Neptune Pool began as a relatively modest outdoor swimming pool, but Hearst was never entirely satisfied with it. Over the years, he asked Morgan to redesign and expand it multiple times. Each version became larger and more elaborate than the one before. By the time it reached its final form, the pool featured marble decking, classical sculptures, sweeping staircases, and the facade of an ancient Roman temple overlooking the water. It looked as though it had been standing there for centuries, but in reality, it was a carefully orchestrated illusion. By the late 1920s, Hearst Castle had already become one of the most talked-about private residences in America, and not just for the architecture. By the time construction began, William Randolph Hearst's personal life had become increasingly complicated. In 1903, Hearst had married Millicent Wilson, a young chorus performer from New York. Over the next 15 years, the couple had five sons and established themselves as one of the country's most prominent families. As Hearst's newspaper empire expanded, Millicent became a well-known figure in New York society and devoted much of her time to philanthropy and charitable work. Then, in 1917, Hearst met 20-year-old actress Marianne Davies. Born in Brooklyn in 1897, Marianne Davies began her career as a teenager working as a model and chorus performer. Her charisma and screen presence quickly attracted attention, and by the 1910s, she had transitioned into motion pictures, where she steadily built a successful career. But it was her stage work that attracted the notice of Hearst. He saw her perform in the Ziegfield Follies and became immediately fascinated by her. Soon afterward, he arranged an introduction through mutual acquaintances in New York theatrical circles. The circumstances were complicated from the beginning. Hearst was more than 30 years older than Davies and already married to Millicent. Divorce was not something he was willing to pursue given his public profile and political ambitions. As a result, he and Davies spent decades in a relationship that remained highly visible while never becoming official. He was deeply devoted to her, though. He financed films for her, promoted her career through his newspapers, and ensured that she had access to opportunities that few performers could match. Critics have actually debated for decades whether his involvement ultimately helped or hindered her career. While Hear's support made her a major star, some historians argue that his determination to cast her in prestigious dramatic roles overshadowed her natural gift for comedy, which many believed was her greatest strength. Whatever the effect on her career, there is little doubt about her importance in Hearst's personal life. By the time construction was underway in San Simeon, Davies had become a constant presence. She spent extensive periods of time at the estate, entertained guests, and helped transform the property from a construction project into a functioning home. Visitors frequently described her as warm, approachable, and genuinely funny. While Hearst could sometimes be formal and reserved, Davies often put guests at ease. She remembered names and told stories, organized activities, and helped create the atmosphere that people would later associate with weekend visits to San Simeon. As the estate grew larger and more elaborate, it increasingly reflected the lives of both Hearst and Davies. The towers, gardens, and collections may have belonged to Hearst's vision, but the social life for the castle was shaped by both of them. And together they turned the property into one of the most sought-after invitations in America. Beginning in the late 1920s, they began hosting elaborate weekend gatherings. Guests were invited to stay in the estate's three guest houses, allowing dozens of people to live on the property at the same time. And the guest lists were carefully curated. Hearst really limited himself to a single social circle. A typical weekend might include Hollywood actors with newspaper executives, with politicians, foreign dignitaries, writers, military leaders, and personal friends, all staying on the same property. One guest could find themselves having breakfast beside a movie star and dinner beside a governor. For Hearst, these gatherings served multiple purposes. They were social events, certainly, but they also reflected the world he had built through his newspapers. Politics, entertainment, business, and culture all intersected at Hearst Castle. The atmosphere was surprisingly structured. Guests generally followed a schedule. Mornings and afternoons were devoted to leisure, whether that meant horseback riding, tennis, swimming, or simply enjoying the grounds. Cocktails were served before dinner, and formal dinners brought everyone together each evening. Afterward, the group often moved to the private theater for a movie screening. By the 1930s, receiving an invitation from Hearst and Davies had become a status symbol in its own right. Hearst Castle was no longer simply a home looking over the Pacific. It had become one of the country's most exclusive social destinations. In fact, years later, the estate would gain another layer of fame. While Orson Wells never claimed Hearst Castle was the sole inspiration for Xanadu and Citizen Kane, Hearst's vast estate, immense art collection, and larger-than-life public image became closely associated with the fictional mansion at the center of the film. At this point, there was little reason to believe that the good times would end. Throughout the 1920s and into the early 30s, Hearst's newspapers remained enormously influential. Marion Davies continued making films, and construction moved forward. New guests arrived, new projects were approved, new treasures were added to the collection, and yet beneath the surface, the foundations of Hearst's empire were beginning to shift. The Great Depression dramatically altered the American economy, and the newspaper industry was not immune. Advertising revenue declined, business conditions became more difficult, and at the same time, Hearst's spending habits remained extraordinary. He continued purchasing art, supporting film production, maintaining multiple estates, and funding the ongoing work at San Simeon. Eventually, though, the financial strain became impossible to ignore. In 1937, Hearst's business empire underwent a major restructuring. Lenders stepped in and assets were reviewed and his spending was curtailed. Although Hearst remained wealthy by any ordinary standard, the era of seemingly limitless resources was coming to an end, and the effects reached Hearst Castle. Construction slowed, some of the planned projects were abandoned entirely, and purchases became less frequent. The estate remained magnificent, but the constant expansion that had defined its first two decades began to taper off. Hearst was also getting older, and the media landscape that he had helped create was changing. Radio had emerged as a powerful competitor to newspaper. New generations of entertainers, politicians, and business leaders were coming to prominence. The world that had made Hearst one of the most powerful men in America was evolving around him. Even so, he remained devoted to Hearst Castle. He continued spending time there with Marianne Davies, and Julia Morgan continued working on projects there. Remarkably, construction never truly stopped. After nearly 20 years of work, modifications and additions were still being made. And in some ways, that endless process had become part of the identity of the property itself. Then, in 1947, Hearst's health began to fail. His doctors advised him to leave the hilltop estate where the remote location and frequent fog made medical care more difficult. Reluctantly, he departed and moved to Beverly Hills, and sadly, he would never return. For nearly three decades, Hearst had spent enormous amounts of time, money, and attention shaping the Enchanted Hill. He had transformed a childhood campsite into one of the most recognizable private residences in the world, in a project that largely remained, in his mind at least, unfinished. When William Randolph Hearst died in August of 1951, at the age of 88, construction at Hearst Castle effectively came to an end. After 28 years of continuous work, Julia Morgan's last revisions were completed, the tools were put away, and the estate entered a new chapter. For the first time since 1919, the Enchanted Hill stopped changing. Its creator was gone. Although ownership remained with the Hearst family and the Hearst Corporation, maintaining a property of this scale presented significant challenges. The estate contained thousands of works of art, extensive gardens, multiple buildings, and infrastructure spread across hundreds of acres. Preserving it for future generations would require enormous resources. Ultimately, the family chose a different path. In late 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the castle, its gardens, and much of its contents to the state of California. The surrounding ranch land remained under Hearst ownership, but the hilltop estate itself was transferred to the public. The following year, in 1958, Hearst Castle opened for public tours for the first time. For visitors who had spent years reading newspaper accounts of San Simeon or hearing stories about its legendary guests, the opportunity was remarkable. What had once been one of the most exclusive invitations in America suddenly became accessible to anyone willing to make the journey up California's central coast. Over the decades that followed, preservation became the estate's primary mission. The state of California, along with specialists, worked to maintain the buildings, conserve the art collection, restore the gardens, and address the challenges that come with caring for a nearly century-old property perched on a coastal hilltop. Major projects have included structural reinforcement, conservation of artwork, and the extensive restoration of the famous Neptune Pool. Today, Hearst Castle operates as the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument and functions as both a historic house museum and an accredited art museum. The estate contains more than 20,000 works of art and remains one of California's most visited historic sites. And in a small way, traces of Hearst's original vision still linger beyond the castle walls. During Hearst's lifetime, the ranch supported what was reportedly the largest private zoo in the world. Most of the animals eventually left the property, but descendants of the estate's zebra population can still be seen grazing on the surrounding ranch land. Drivers traveling along Highway 1 occasionally spot them in the distance, an unexpected reminder of one of the estate's most unusual chapters. The home that was once built for a single family, visited by presidents, movie stars, and industrialists, ultimately became a place where anyone can walk through the front door and experience the Enchanted Hill for themselves. One of the facts that comes up again and again when people talk about Hearst Castle is that it was under construction for nearly three decades and that it was really never finished. The more I thought about that though, the less unusual it seemed. After all, what house is ever really finished? Most of us aren't building bell towers or importing ceilings from Europe, but houses have a way of remaining works in progress. There's always another project, another improvement, another idea that never quite makes it to the top of the list. Hearst Castle just happened to operate on a much larger scale. For nearly 30 years, William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan continued refining, expanding, and adjusting the castle. What visitors see today is simply the point at which that process stopped. It's a fitting ending for a home that began as a childhood campsite and gradually evolved into one of the most recognizable residences in the world. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Manner of Fact. If you enjoyed today's episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating or review, and sharing the podcast with someone who enjoys architecture, history, and the stories behind the places we call home. Your support helps more people discover the show and makes it possible for me to continue researching and producing new episodes. Until next time, remember, every home has a story to tell. Some are just more interesting than others.