SAN SIMEON, Calif. — William Randolph Hearst’s fondness for San Simeon developed during the many family camping trips he took to the area.
After spending five minutes here, it’s easy to see why Hearst loved the area so much — the land, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, provides dramatic views of the landscape below.
Hearst’s father, George, purchased the land in 1865. In 1919, the younger Hearst interested the property from his mother, which by then included 250,000 acres and 14 miles of coastline. That same year Hearst approached architect Julia Morgan with an idea to develop the site.
“I would like to build something upon the hill at San Simeon,” Hearst supposedly told Morgan during their first meeting in April 1919. “I get tired of going up there and camping in tents. I’m getting a little too old for that. I’d like to get something that would be a little more comfortable.”
Hearst started small, building three guest cottages on the 250,000-acre site in 1919. But he didn’t stop there.
By “a little more comfortable,” Hearst apparently meant building a house with 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms and 127 acres of additional leisure space that included pools, gardens and the world’s largest private zoo. The remains are still evidenced by the zebras and other out-of-place animals that roam the grounds to this day.
