Hearst Castle: The Palace He Never Finished

For 28 years, William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan built one of America's most extraordinary estates. Yet behind Hearst Castle's grand towers, lavish rooms and glittering pools, parts of the palace remained unfinished. Why? Explore the story of Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California—from its changing designs and hidden terrace to the people who kept it running, the financial pressures that slowed construction, and its transformation into a public museum. This is the story of a house that kept growing—and the ambition behind it. Subscribe to Estates & Empires for the stories behind extraordinary homes and the fortunes that built them. CHAPTERS 00:00 The unfinished palace 01:55 How to build on a hill 04:39 The house that kept changing 07:19 Three pools in one place 10:20 The palace at work 12:57 When money imposed a limit 15:26 The last departure 17:46 What finishing means now RESEARCH California State Parks / Hearst Castle: https://hearstcastle.org/learn/histor... Additional historical sources: Cal Poly Special Collections, UC Berkeley and PBS American Experience. Original explanatory diagrams are not measured plans. VISUAL CREDITS Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress (no known restrictions): https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collecti... 1929 interiors: Underwood & Underwood / Library of Congress (no known restrictions). Other public-domain portraits: Library of Congress and credited collections. assembly: Warren LeMay / CC BY-SA 2.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... front-detail: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... front-garden: Proimos / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... front-wide: Boaz Meiri / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... guest-house: Charles Axilbund / CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... interior-a: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... interior-b: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... neptune-column: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... neptune-detail: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... neptune-wide: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... refectory-wide: Warren LeMay / CC BY-SA 2.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... roman-detail: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... roman-light: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... roman-wide: Nishithdesai / CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... sol: King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... terrace-stair: Warren LeMay / CC BY-SA 2.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... unfinished: Jill Clardy / CC BY-SA 2.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... pool-empty: UpdateNerd / CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... zebras: Collette14713 / CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... zebras-castle: Collette14713 / CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=... Casa Loma ending image: Xander Ashburn / CC BY 2.0 (channel thumbnail). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Photo elements are cropped/reframed. License links: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... MUSIC Dreams Become Real, Lightless Dawn, Heartbreaking — Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0. Edited and mixed under narration. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty... https://incompetech.com/music/royalty... https://incompetech.com/music/royalty...