- [Narrator] With more than 65,000
square feet of space and 115 rooms,
Hearst Castle is one of America's
largest and most treasured homes.
(dramatic piano music)
Hearst Castle was built by American newspaper magnate
William Randolph Hearst in 1919
after he inherited 40,000 acres of farmland.
He would go on to purchase 200,000 more acres of land,
allowing him to create the kind of sprawling
compound rarely seen to this day.
In addition to the main house, La Casa Grande,
Hearst Castle is comprised of three guest houses,
an outdoor pool, and numerous other amenities.
One of the most recognizable rooms in the Hearst Castle
is the 345,000 gallon indoor Roman pool.
Styled after Ancient Roman baths,
the pool is decorated with eight statues
of Roman and Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes.
Hearst was known for throwing lavish parties,
and hosting important figures at his San Simeon home.
Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant,
Greta Garbo, and Calvin Coolidge
were some of the hundreds of house guests.
The home was donated to the State of California in 1958,
and welcomes more than 750,000 visitors every year.