Hearst Castle - little house

Russ walked us through the guest quarters of one of the little houses, pointing out interesting architectural features as we went. The designs are faithful to the principles of the renaissance Italian village that the little houses are intended to invoke, emphasising balance, proportion and astonishing detail. Note the moulding trim under the roof of the little house below.



The entire grounds and every building of the ranch were designed or overseen by Julia Morgan, who also personally contracted all the work. Ms Morgan was a fascinating woman in her own right. She was the only female architect registered in the State of California when William Randolf Hearst commissioned her to work on the ranch. She was also the first female graduate of the famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts school of architecture. The ranch at San Simeon was a work in progress for 28 years and remains unfinished to this day, abandoned when Mr Hearst died. The property was donated to the State of California on the condition that it be maintained as Mr Hearst had left it. Ms Morgan also designed a number of other homes for Mr Hearst over their long creative partnership, but Russ believes that the ranch was her particular passion.



Inside the little house, Russ explained the special significance of the plumbing. In the 1930s less than 1% of rural properties had indoor plumbing. Hearst Castle, on a hilltop in the middle of nowhere, was a miracle of the day. For every bed, in every room, in every house, there was a separate bathroom with hot and cold running water. The water came from a gravity fed system that piped water from a nearby natural spring into a giant reservoir under the bell towers. From there the water was distributed throughout the many buildings on the property.

We were invited to choose our bedroom as we toured through the guest house. I chose this one. The furniture is antique, but the mattress is made in the USA circa 1930. Riding clothes had already been laid out by the servants, and a Stetson is sitting by the bed. My kind of room, I thought.

Of course, as a single lady, I would not have been housed in the guest house. I would have been in one of the guest rooms in Casa Grande, Mr Hearst's own home. This is just as well, because I was quick to revise my room selection once I had seen the big house.