40 US Historical Homes That Are Worth the Visit

5.Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is perhaps one of the most famous mansions in the world. The sprawling, palatial estate in central California is a popular tourist destination. The castle is the brainchild of media magnate William Randolph Hearst, a famously satirized in Citizen Kane, and famed historic female architect Julia Morgan. Also notably, Morgan was the first woman at the School of Beaux-Arts in Paris to study architecture. Later, Morgan was the first woman in California to own her own architectural firm. Collaborating with Hearst, Morgan developed what was previously a 40,000-acre family vacationing and camping refuge into the National Historic Landmark that it is today. Hearst often affectionately referred to the castle as “The Ranch.”

An 11-million-dollar inheritance from his mother in 1919 allowed Hearst the ability to bring his Spanish Colonial Revival castle to fruition. Given the lack of infrastructure and remote location, construction proved a significant challenge. They constructed gravity-fed wells to provide access to water and the construction of a private hydroelectric plant. Strong winds from the Pacific Ocean and cold winters further served as significant construction challenges. With construction completed in 1947, the castle had, among its many features, 127 acres of landscaped gardens, a movie theater, an elaborate entrance fashioned after the Church of Santa María la Mayor in Spain, and the world’s largest private zoo. The property is the inspiration behind Citizen Kane’s Xanadu, the home of Charles Foster Kane.