Hearst Castle ranks as the second largest private residence in the United States. (The Biltmore, just outside Asheville, NC, takes the title as the largest private mansion.) Newspaper heir William Randolph Heast began construction of the mountaintop estate in 1919 and it was never officially finished. In its heydey, it was the playground for moviestars and other celebrities and notables.

Hearst Castle is interesting for several reasons. Although designed after European castles the Hearst mansion and the surrounding grounds use reinforced concrete rather than mansonry. The design appears to have worked. The structure has survived several earthquakes. Considering Hearst designed his stately manse in the early part of the 20th Century, he made an unusual choice for an architect. He chose a woman, Julia Morgan, who designed the 115-room main mansion, three guest houses, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gardens, tennish courts and even a zoo located on the property.

Except for a few shots of the indoor pool, these images show only the exterior of Hearst Castle and its grounds. Visitors to the house are asked not to take flash photographs to avoid damaging the artwork. I would have needed a tripod to take proper photographs inside with the available light. That wasn't a practical option when traveling with tour group in often-narrow spaces and being pressed for time. Nonetheless, I think the outdoor views here are quite nice although they only give you a tiny hint of the sumptuousness of the mansion's interior.

Click on the thumbnails on this page and the larger version of the image will come up. The full-sized images are big files -- some over a quarter of a megabyte in size -- so give them time to download.