Original subtitles

(bright upbeat music)

What does it take to make a house?

One of history's greatest homes,

whether they're warm and cozy

or grand and drafty?

When you're building your home

you're creating your own universe.

And the most celebrated homes in history

stood the test of time.

This is Hampton Court Palace.

It was a place for fun,

and above all, as you can see of magnificence.

This is a spectacular palace, even today.

We often describe it as an architectural autobiography.

And so at Monet Chalet, you get a true sense of a man.

I think that the point was to be ostentatious.

This was the statement that they were trying to make

that they had made it

and they were going to let the world know

that they were important.

Fontainebleau is a former royal

and imperial residence in France

dating back to the Middle Ages.

The history of the castle

is therefore almost a thousand years old.

You can imagine coming into this room in the evening

or any time of day

and everybody who was anybody was here.

(birds chirping)

Some great homes

are made famous by their legendary residents.

Others are crowning architectural achievements

filled with incredible art.

Still more reign supreme as beacons of power and luxury.

But, in the heart of California,

one house encompasses all of this and more,

Hearst Castle.

Perched atop a hill

overlooking the Pacific ocean.

This towering abode is a monument to the opulence

of America's Gilded Age.

It was home to maverick newspaper tycoon,

William Randolph Hearst.

He was the Steve Jobs and the Bill Gates.

I mean, he brought comics.

He brought designs.

He brought games.

He brought color to newspapers

before anybody else dreamt it could happen.

Steve Hearst is the great grandson

of William Randolph Hearst.

He's the fifth generation

to call this incredible property home.

And yet the Hearst family's connection to this land

extends back to humbler origins

in the mid 1800s.

When it was purchased by William Randolph's father,

George Hearst,

and known simply as "The Ranch."

Right where the castle is located,

it was referred to as Camp Hill

and that's where George, W.R's father used to take him.

W.R. just fell in love with it as a child,

and this was like his favorite place in the world.

The love for this land

runs deep in the Hearst family, even to this day.

I just think that this is

one of the most spectacular pieces of property.

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There is something about the view on the coast,

18 miles of beach front.

Gardens are flushed,

the flowers are blooming, the sun is out

it's 85, 90 degrees at nine o'clock in the morning.

You've got beautiful pools and fountains and statuary.

This place, that's forever.

This property go right to the very core of our being

and the core of our relationship to California.

In 1958,

Hearst Castle was made a California State Park

and Historic House Museum.

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To this day,

a team of trustees work tirelessly to preserve the home,

just as Mr.Hearst left it.

(soft music)

Hello, I'm Hoyt Fields, welcome to Hearst Castle,

operated by California State Parks.

We opened for tours on June the 2nd, 1958.

Over 40 million visitors.

And what you see today is how he left it in 1947.

So when you're walking through,

you're walking through history,

this is how it was and will always be.

Hoyt Fields is the former museum director

of Hearst Castle Historic House Museum,

and a passionate communicator of the Hearst history.

As a young man, William Randolph Hearst

traveled the world with his mother.

He had a love of art and a sense of adventure

and the pocket book to back it up.

But it wasn't until he was 24

that he found his life's true calling.

He did go to Harvard.

He was kicked out.

In 1887, dad, George Hearst, his Senator

gave William Randolph Hearst the San Francisco Examiner,

and that's where his love for publishing began.

And he started buying up newspapers

and publishing magazines.

At one time,

one in three Americans read a Hearst publication.

The influence the man had.

And his burgeoning media empire

didn't stop the printed word.

He had his own movie studio, Cosmopolitan studios.

Came here and he hooked up with MGM.

And with Charlie Chaplin.

He was the original media mogul.

If you think of Rupert Murdoch,

Rupert Murdoch is just a clone of Hearst, basically.

His media empire grew to span the nation,

but home for Hearst

was always his family's land here in San Simeon.

Mr. Hearst came here, he called this The Ranch

and they would set up tents

and they would camp here.

Not our typical, get out our Coleman stove and put it up,

but the whole bit, Persian rugs and antique furniture

and the whole thing.

On into his adulthood,

he would do that with his five sons and his wife.

He said he would rather spend a month here

than anywhere else in the world.

And he traveled all over the world.

As he built a fabulous fortune,

Hearst dreamed of turning his humble hill

into a home envied around the world.

In 1919, he wrote to Julia Morgan.

He said, "We're tired of camping in tents.

Let's build a little something here."

Julia Morgan was the first female

admitted to the architecture program

at the School of Fine Arts in Paris.

Hearst Castle was a collaboration

between William Randolph Hearst

and the architect Julia Morgan.

1919 to 1947.

They worked together to build this beautiful home.

Over the 28 years it took to build

that little something

grew into a series of luxurious buildings and gardens

on this 127 acre estate.

He spent a reported $6.5 million on construction alone.

Hearst aptly named it

"La Cuesta Encantada" or "The Enchanted Hill".

In designing his home,

Hearst sought to capture the grander

of European architecture.

And many features were inspired by iconic buildings.

What we have here,

we're looking at the main house, Casa Grande,

and its a 115 room home.

And it's fashioned after a cathedral in Spain.

We have the Madonna and Child, 13th century,

up in the in the niche, above the door.

We have the Teakwood Gable

that goes all around the third floor.

That's Mr. Hearst's private suite.

(soft music)

And then in the towers, we have 36 bells,

18 in each tower and we play them every day at noon.

This ornate structure

was built at the height of America's Gilded Age.

At the turn of the 20th century,

America led the world in new industries and technologies.

This was an age where the wealth and power

of American tycoons rivaled European royalty.

And Hearst,

he owned the most powerful media empire of the day.

When the millions are rolling in,

why not show off a little?

Hearst Castle was a home Mr. Hearst built

for his family and friends.

When you were invited to The Ranch

you came here and it was for enjoyment.

He wanted them to relax.

They came through a private zoo,

the world's largest private zoo.

They drove through, the animals, had the right of way.

A signal of the awesome sites to come.

Started with a long and winding trip

through Hearst's private zoo

complete with roaming camels,

zebras, giraffes, and kangaroos.

This menagerie was one of a kind in America,

just like the castle itself.

With 126 rooms

and 68,000 square feet of living space.

And over 25,000 works of art and antiquities.

(upbeat music)

Here, guests would not only enjoy the luxuries of the age,

they'd be inundated by its riches.

We have here at the castle, 25,000 pieces of art

and that's only one tenth of Mr. Hearst's collection.

A lifelong collector,

Hearst spent $3.5 million decorating his home

and covering every surface

with incredible works of art and antiquities

imported from across the world.

With these incredible historic pieces

still housed here today.

Hearst Castle is not only a home,

it's a museum of the world's greatest art.

Julia Morgan, not only was the architect,

not only did she draw the plans,

but she was the interior decorator also.

He had all three of those individuals

in this one fabulous woman.

The art would come into San Simeon, the warehouses

they would uncrate it.

So Julia Morgan would go to the warehouses

in San Simeon

and she had 36 volumes

of rugs, tapestries, choir stalls, ceilings

and she just pick, pick, pick, pick, pick.

Mr. Hearst wanted for nothing,

and neither did his home.

Julia Morgan filled it to the brim

with artistic delights from all over the world.

Mr. Hearst's guests

would enter through the front door here,

and the first thing that they would see

is this 3rd century mosaic from Ostia

and it's called Mirmana and the Fishes.

And they would be focused on this.

And all of a sudden they would look up

and enter this grand assembly room.

We've got a piano, we've got a radio,

that's been put in a 16th century, Italian credenza.

We have a games table

and we have the comfortable couches.

And then we walk over here

and we're standing in front of a 16th century,

French mantle over mantle fireplace

from the Château d'Eu, just outside of Paris.

And even though, surrounded by all this fabulous art,

you have these comfortable pieces of furniture

that you could just sit down.

And that's what Mr. Hearst wanted.

He wanted you to enjoy,

to be comfortable

and surrounded by priceless art.

In this grand living room,

the brightest stars from the 1920s intermingled.

You can imagine coming into this room

in the evening or any time of day,

and you have Clark Gable,

you have Carole Lombard, you have Charlie Chaplin,

Jay of the Marx brothers,

or everybody who was anybody was here,

not only from the movie calling,

but captains of industry.

AP Giannini, the founder of bank of America.

You might have the mayor of New York.

You might have Winston Churchill.

So it was an eclectic mix of guests.

But the living room wasn't just

about entertaining influential men and women of the age.

It was also a gathering place for the family.

They used to roll up the rugs

and they used to dance on the teak wood floors.

The sons, the five sons,

they used to play ball games in here.

Can you imagine, with this priceless art playing ball games?

Memories of the glamorous and enchanted evenings

still reverberate through this impressive room.

But cocktails in the living room was just the beginning

of a grand evening ahead.

Any given evening, the guests are in here,

they're having cocktails, they're having hors d'oeuvres.

Mr. Hearst is going around and discussing the art

because he was so passionate about it.

And at nine o'clock, precisely,

the butler would come through these doors

and ring a cowbell,

this is The Ranch,

to announce that dinner was served.

The dining room of Hearst Castle

is one of the most impressive in the world.

An original 16th century Gothic ceiling,

imported from an Italian church

is the pièce de résistance of this impressive rectory.

But the mustard and ketchup bottles

showed that Mr. Hearst

likes to add a little American flavor to his ranch.

You know, it's really interesting,

you come into this room

and you see all this beautiful art.

And then you look down at the table,

and you see paper napkins, ketchup, mustard,

pickles, relish, everything in their original containers

set right here on this table,

these 16th century factory tables.

He wanted them to be odd,

but he also wanted them to feel comfortable.

Here we would have Mr. Hearst and Ms. Davis

sitting across from each other,

but then you might have ZaSu Pitts

and you might have Groucho Marx.

You never know.

And Carrie Grant said,

"Every time your place card

got moved closer and closer

to this 16th century French fireplace

with the heat coming off of it,

you knew it was time to go home."

Everything basically that they ate,

except for seafood, was raised here on the ranch.

You had the beef, you had the poultry, you had the fruit.

And so it was really meat and potatoes.

When Winston Churchill came,

he wanted hot dogs and beans,

so that's what they served.

The rooms here rival any European castle,

for good reason.

Many of the objects that adorn these rooms

were acquired from Royal estates in France,

Spain, and Italy.

Hearst was American royalty.

And it showed.

Here in the billiard room,

a 15th century Spanish ceiling

painted with scenes of courtly love

overlooks pool tables.

This room was mainly for the men after dinner

where they could come in and have drinks, and smoke cigars,

play billiards, and play pool.

Keeping the priceless ancient art

festooning every wall

is no easy feat for those tending to the castle.

With some of the world's most incredible treasures

housed here,

major efforts to conserve Hearst's collection must be made.

Look what they're surrounded.

Beautiful, middle flair.

Beautiful 15th century Spanish ceiling.

And thanks to the foundation,

we were able to conserve this.

Even though Hearst and his guests

were surrounded by rare antiquities and ancient art,

this was a modern home for a 20th century media mogul.

Hearst was an entertainer,

a consummate host,

and above all, a showman.

From the billiard room,

Hearst would welcome guests to his theater.

(upbeat music)

Of course we have the theater here.

But look at these beautiful caryatids designed

by Julia Morgan,

polychromed and gold leaf.

They hold up the room.

And then you have these comfortable, low seats.

And Mr. Hearst built this theater,

most Hollywood moguls, the movie producers,

they have their own screening rooms in their homes.

But nothing as opulent as this.

People were required to come here at night

to see the movie,

it was at 11 o'clock.

You can imagine, after a three hour meal

or a two hour meal,

with the wine and the food.

Most of them probably, I shouldn't say this,

but they probably fell asleep, depending on the movie.

After movie time,

guests would retreat

to their luxurious bedroom suites.

Like this one in the doges.

And the next day, this life of fantasy

would happen all over again.

But before afternoon cocktails,

guests might have the pleasure of a cool leisurely dip

in one of two magnificent pools.

We happened to be by the most iconic

place on the Hilltop,

the Neptune pool.

Shown in magazines and on pictures,

and when people see this pool,

they know this is Hearst castle.

There is nothing like this, anywhere.

We have mythology, we have Neptune in the temple.

He used to be carrying a trident at one time.

And he is facing Venus, who he created

from the form of the sea, on the shell.

It is so spectacular.

(soft music)

While family and friends lounge

by the glamorous pools

and enjoy the zoo and theater,

Hearst was working.

His insatiable appetite for wealth and influence

meant he rarely took the time

to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

We all have a home office, but can you imagine

having an office like this?

This is the Gothic study.

This is Mr. Hearst office.

He actually worked in here.

He had 41 newspapers.

He would put the newspapers on the floor in here

and he would take big crayons and he would circle

and rewrite.

So he worked late two, three o'clock.

Sometimes the guests didn't see him until dinner time

because he worked all night.

Even into the 1930s his fortune grew,

he was a Baron

unrivaled and unprecedented in the history of mass media.

But as time wore on,

his newspaper circulation fell,

his movies began to flop,

and his successes waned.

His extravagant spending

and mounting debts became unsustainable.

Finally, he was forced to mortgage and pay rent

on his own castle.

But he never loved it any less.

This was a favorite place for him,

and he was so sad and devastated when he had to leave here

at the age of 84,

it was really difficult for him.

The millions of people

who have visited Hearst's enchanted castle

have come here for a taste of luxurious lifestyle

of the rich and famous of the Gilded Age.

And to admire Hearst's legendary art collection.

We show the home as Mr. Hearst lived in it.

We have no barriers.

You are not inhibited from

being a part of it,

you're in it.

We want our visitors to feel like they are a guest

of William Randolph Hearst.

And in touring the many jaw dropping chambers

of Hearst castle.

One gets a small glimpse

at the man behind the myth,

the insatiable worker,

the obsessive art collector,

the entertainer,

a man whose life and times will go down in history.

He was a newspaper man.

He was a politician.

He was an art collector.

He was a movie producer.

This is his home.

We're preserving it for future generations

to enjoy what this man was able to collect.

Preserving the legacy of this home

is no small feat.

We're celebrating 100 years

of the beginning of the construction of the castle,

right now.

And so not only the ancient art,

the antiques are we preserving,

but we have to maintain the items that were built

at the very beginning.

Thanks to the foundation,

we are able to keep the art preserved

for future generations,

which is our mission.

This shining house on the Hill

is not only legendary for its art and architecture.

It stands as a monument to the man,

a testament to one of America's most incredible architects

and designers, Julia Morgan.

It was through her talents

that Hearst's dreams became a reality.

Hoyt, Steve, the foundation at Hearst Castle,

all work tirelessly to make sure this incredible home

is preserved and shared.

Every family member drives through that gate.

Every one of them thinks they're home,

regardless of where they've moved to

or whatever state they're in

whatever country they're in,

when they get back here this is home base.

I've spent so much time here.

It is like a second home to me.

It really is.

Of course, my home is not as opulent as this,

but I feel that this is just as much my home

as the one 39 miles away (laughs)

I think W.R., I think even George,

I think if they came here today

they would be extraordinarily pleased

that the legacy is stable and thriving.

And they would be just as thrilled to know

that it will be that way in 15, 100 years.

Mansions might be a dime a dozen

for the movie stars and tech billionaires of California,

but Hearst Castle, and the man who calls it home,

will go down in history.

(birds chirping)