What Happened to William Hearst's Hacienda Mansion? 

When you’re wealthy they call you an “eclectic collector,” when you’re not wealthy they call you a “hoarder.”

Imagine your parents giving you an allowance so great you could build your own mansion. Imagine your parenting skills when you are gone long enough that your kid can build a house in your absence.

I grew up in the shadow of the hacienda...spent many hours playing there as a child, running up and down the hallways, the stairs, roofs, patios, gardens (landscaped by Luther Burbank) etc. I was there the night it burned to the ground. I felt like a part of myself died that night. My life rose in the flames, ascending like an incense into the night sky. Architecturally, it was actually quite a unified composition...a combinations of Spanish revival and pueblo styles. It was, in fact, a preliminary study for San Simeon...where much of the artwork that once adorned it now resides.

You're telling me she's the reason I had to sit through Parent-Teacher Conferences every year?

So she was mad that her son built the house instead of an orphanage. Then proceeded to redo the house and live there herself.

a wealthy friend of mine always tells me: "money buys you only comfort, never taste or happiness, my dear!" I am like...only rich people say that! lol

Thought the rooms looked like a cluttered mess.

We lived a mile or so north on Foothill Road, when Castlewood Country Club burned down. Rather frightening, we thought the whole neighborhood might go up that night. The rolling hills were covered in oak trees with pastures in the valley back then. The actual "town" of Pleasanton was some distance away. The entire area has been developed since then and today is another endless urban sprawl.

Anyone else find it funny that she didn’t just turn it into an orphanage but instead she spent time and money making her own mansion?.. 😂

I throughly enjoy your videos, its awesome how you find & bring these amazing photos & history to life again in such a lovely way! Thank you for all your efforts! 👍🏆🌟

I think both mother and son were hoarders. Hearst Castle is a wild museum of hoarder proportions.

Thank you for this video. I never knew that Phoebe Hearst owned a mansion in P-Town. I only knew about her house in north Berkeley, which still stands. W. R. Hearst owned a ranch in Paso Robles, which he stayed at while overseeing the construction of San Simeon in the 1920's, and sold it to the U.S. government in 1940. It is now part of Fort Hunter-Liggett, a minor military base. I stayed there 15 years ago. They may still rent out rooms. The kitchen was closed because a colonel or general set himself on fire when the kitchen stove blew up, but he insisted on cooking himself scrambled eggs anyway (he had been warned.) It may be refurbished by now. I hope so. If you can stay there, do so. It is worth it. They may be serving meals again.

I would have loved to see the original. My three favorite types of architecture! And the eclectic furnishings are sweet! Not to mention the wood work! Wow!👍👍💕🇺🇸

This answered the question of why Phoebe left much of her wealth to her niece and not her son.

Seeing those interiors: Oh, yes. Now I remember why I'm working toward minimalism. The outside in both forms: really not for me. Still, I say good for Mrs. Hearst for creating a house that was her own and for her wonderful philanthropic work.

It is fun to know the stories about these places. I liked the "different" look as well. Thank you, always a pleasure to relax and smile at these videos.

Albert Schweinfurth was highly regarded by his contemporaries. I believe he died before he reached forty. He was only slightly older than Julia Morgan. The two were likely acquainted with each others work. I find the house fascinating and regret it no longer exists.

So many mansions full of art were lost to fire. Makes me curious to know when conscious efforts were begun to prevent loss by fire.

I was at another Julia Morgan-designed home at the Castlewood Country Club about 40 years ago. It was obviously a Morgan house because of the Art Deco theme and statuary by the pool. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your videos.

He was a huge part of the town I grew up in. Our library is named after her and he had a large mercantile building on Main St that burned down a long, long time ago.

It is an architectural travesty.

All I can think about is how disrespectful William was to his Mother. I feel she should have torn it down and built the orphanage and then set up a fund for the children instead of her spoiled child! I would have been furious!!!

The cluttered rooms remind me of Cracker Barrel.

I liked Phoebe’s style.

Terrific video. Succinct and yet so much detail. Interesting from beginning to end.

Thanks for the history. The area where the house once stood in Pleasanton is called Hacienda Drive. Nearby is a BART station.

Beautiful find Ken.

Great story, but that house was hideous!

Omg that’s the most beautiful house I’ve seen on this amazing channel. Those interiors 😍😍

Interesting! I've been to that country club as a teenager, when my uncle who was a member took us there. That would have been in the mid to late 60's. I hadn't thought about that in 50 years at least!

W. R. Hearst was the spoiled brat of all time. He never did an ounce of work in his life, although he liked to call himself a "publisher" - the work was done by people he hired. He treated his wife badly and openly flaunted his affair with Marion Davies. He threw away his entire fortune and at one point in the Great Depression Marion had to bail him out because he was such an incompetent manager.

Doesn’t look like a house, but wouldn’t tear it down either. She was correct to salvage the expense and workmanship.

Of all the wealthy families who built America, are there any that still own the lavish properties from their original owners?

About as architecturally engaging as the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas.

Tacky!

One word, conglom! That's my word for hot mess.

I think she should have paid more attention to her son. Then she would have had her orphanage.

I did like the eclectic style, especially the interior! One should decorate and display things on walls, as one sees fit, yes? Otherwise, why didn't she convert it to her original idea of an orphanage? I understand she did devote time, energy and money to education.

So did the orphans get a home?

Wow! I never heard of this mansion!

It is not uncommon nowadays, that children that age and older do not ask their parents for permission to built a house. When mother was not looking, Hearst did built his own house on a property his mother had designed for an orphanage home. When mother found out, she was furious, took it away from her son, and lived in that home for herself. Why did she not hand it over for orphanage purposes. Or let her son live in that house he had built for himself. Even more so since she did not like it at all- And then making such a fuzz of how this house could be saved. The house looked great to me before Phebe acted on it. A library without books. This woman is completely nuts. Hearst was at least 27 years old, when he did that after the death of his father. After the death of his mother, that had hi jacked his hacienda from him, he did built another spanish home. He was 54 years old then and could not take permission of his mother anymore, even if he had wanted to. The mother died of the spanish flu.

I am impressed with both WRH , and his mother’s versions , they were so much alike, they had a problem seeing each other in themselves

Its not hard to imagine, this kinda scenarios are realistic still today.

Yeah, her home was built on stolen land from our suyyakma(family) and decorated with the stolen belongings from our people too. She "allowed" our last remaining families to stay on as hired help instead of kicking them off the land they occupied. Such a philanthropist she was...so generous, right? "Muwekma Rising"

so the spoiled one was the wife that married a rich guy while trying to steal her sons inheritance.

MISS GOING TO HEARTS CASTLE ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Phoebe was smart, clever, creative, and philanthropic about everything except her son. She should have cut him loose early on. The, "Hacienda " was amazing...what a waste of imagination. It would have made a marvelous art and cultural museum. Country Clubs are elitist wastes of space and countryside.

Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen Texas is not as majestic as any of the mansions on this channel. But it's a very interesting house . Build in an area that few people know about.. I hope one day this channel can cover the humble Mansion. ... The best description I can give the home.

I'm sure the orphans wouldn't have minded that much how it looked..

DAM-usk …. yep, that’s the word !!

Thanks for the wonderful videos, however it's impossible to give a 'modern day equivalent' and if you do you should show the formula you used.

Love her style.

Of course she hired Julia Morgan. The Architect who had a small office and no staff.

First comment! Great channel.

Liked the video. Not crazy about the house, though. ;)

A perfect example of more money than taste!

What happened to the house? Did miss that.

this story is hilarious

What does it matter at this point in time?

Why didnt the mom just use it for the orphans

Just because you're rich don't mean you got class

I like it 👍😁

I kind of like it, but I enjoy Santa Fe style homes

Familiar with the current location and facility. I think the original house was gaudy but when one has the kind of money back then, to each their own.

What about the orphanage

Wasn’t Patti Hearst his daughter? If so, then he found out what it was like to have a head strong spoilt child.

It makes me sad , that it wasn’t an orphanage. If I owned the country club today, I would go to near by orphanages and take care of boys and girls with needs and special needs; great foods, movies, clothes, And tech them proper social skills. BY THE GRACE OF GOD.❤

TBH, I have seen far more interesting and aesthetically pleasing haciendas built by people of "normal" means. The architect W.R.H. contracted could not have been particularly gifted.... IMHO...

I think neither of them had style. I thought it ugly. Maybe because the pics are in black & white.

Chaotic, cluttered, messy!

Sounds like a woman jealous of her son's original thinking, as she had been drilled into the standard of the day enough to have made it okay that she was the one who won the ultimate prize. That was what all women are raised to hopefully do - marry money.

Probably wouldn’t have torn it.

all of the art was lost?

Opinions of people who are long dead are rather speculative….

Gaudy at best. Interesting video though. Thanks! 👍

Not a hoarder just cashed up with no taste

Conspicuous consumption😢

Research Stipend!

Eclectic? Mess.

just another obscenely wealthy Victorian nightmare.

George stole mines in mexico didn't buy them .

FIRE OR NO, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO CALL THIS STORY JUST PLAIN TRAGIC, JUST PLAIN STUPID, JUST PLAIN WEIRD, OR SOME COMBINATION OF ALL OF THE ABOVE???????????????.

From the looks of the photos, the fire performed a useful service. What god-awful jumbles of junk in those rooms!

Overindulged interior. Not a fan

The exterior is ok, but the decoration is non existing, it was just putting all over the place whatever she bought... native-american baskets on the rafters along with old tapestries and period furniture? maybe in person and in color it might make sense, but in these pictures, most rooms look awful....

How gawdy like Mara lago

From outside house looks like a chernobyl nuclear power plant. Or nuclear power plant from chernobyl take design from this house.

She was just as selfish. She could have turned it into an orphanage but no, she spent millions more to make it hers. It was ugly.

Oh those wacky billionaires, some things never change.

It was a dump. It showed what money can’t do.

The country club looks cheap in comparison, although the old buildings were messy much nicer in comparison. 🪴