Hearst Castle

Newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst started to build a fabulous estate on his ranchland overlooking the village of San Simeon in 1919. He called the estate "La Cuesta Encantada" - Spanish for The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, the hilltop complex included a twin-towered main building, three sumptuous guesthouses, and 127 acres of terraced gardens, fountains, and pools.

The fanciful Gothic Study is the centerpiece of Hearst's private suite on the third floor of "Casa Grande" - the main building of the hilltop estate at San Simeon. He previewed his newspapers every night here before printing. The concrete arches were decorated by Camille Solon in 1934-35, but the historic Spanish ceiling dates from the early 1400s. The Enchanted Hill, as Hearst called his beloved hilltop retreat, soon came to be understood as a museum: he filled the buildings and grounds with thousands of works of art purchased specifically to furnish the estate. These historic objects from around the world can be enjoyed today in the gardens, guest houses, and main building called Casa Grande.

Over the years many guests have visited Hearst Castle, but we’ll narrow the list down to the more renowned:

POLITICAL LEADERS - Winston Churchill, Calvin Coolidge

JOURNALISTS, LITERARY FIGURES AND OTHER NOTABLES - Hedda Hopper, Howard Hughes. George Bernard Shaw

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY - Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Harpo Marx. David Niven, Mary Pickford and Barbara Stanwyck

Statistics

There are a total of 46 rooms in the Guest Houses including lobbies.

There are several additional rooms in Casa Grande including the Refectory, the Billiard Room, the Theater, Library, Gothic Study, Beauty Salon, Butler’s Pantry, Kitchen, Staff Dining Room for a total of 115 rooms in Casa Grande.

The outdoor pool holds 345,000 gallons of water. Depth from 3.5 feet to 10 feet deep; 6 feet in alcove

The indoor Roman pool holds 205,000 gallons of water. Depth is 10 feet deep; 4 feet in alcove