Hearst Castle

The megarich newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst decided he wanted a castle to retire to, on the central coast of California, and what resulted was Hearst Castle: a sprawling mansion and complex of guest houses in a fusion of different styles, Mediterranean, Roman, Moorish, Gothic....

The fantastic Roman pool. Many of the sculptures (in brilliant white) are neoclassical reproductions, but a number are genuine Roman artifacts that caught Mr. Hearst's eye... Also see the larger (254K) version.