Hearst San Simeon Estate
Also known as: Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument; La Cuesta Encant
Why it's listed
La Cuesta Encantada, or the Enchanted Hill, is a hilltop estate above the San Simeon coast in San Luis Obispo County, California. Beginning in 1919, William Randolph Hearst spent about three decades building it with Berkeley architect Julia Morgan. The complex includes a castle-like main house of about 100 rooms with twin towers 137 feet tall, three guest houses in a Mediterranean Renaissance style, garden apartments, and two large pools: the indoor Roman Pool and the outdoor Neptune Pool. Poured reinforced concrete forms the basic construction. The buildings and grounds combine Greco-Roman, Etruscan, Persian, Venetian, Italian, French, Gothic and Hispano-Mooresque motifs, and house art objects Hearst collected worldwide. Soil was brought in and water piped from distant springs to landscape the rocky summit. The Hearst Corporation gave the property to California in 1958 as a memorial to Hearst and his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and it is open to visitors.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the estate as an ambitious, decades-long project by William Randolph Hearst, combining Greco-Roman, Etruscan, Persian, Venetian, Italian, French, Gothic and Hispano-Mooresque motifs in its buildings, grounds and collections. It also highlights the landscaping of a barren hilltop and the estate's role as a public memorial given to the State of California in 1958.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000253, listed June 22, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3 mi. NE of San Simeon, San Simeon |
|---|---|
| County | San Luis Obispo County |
| Listed | June 22, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000253 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1919 to 1951 |
| Architect / builder | Julia Morgan of Berkeley, California (principal architect); built for William Randolph Hearst |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Renaissance (guest houses); Hispano-Mooresque mansion with mixed Greco-Roman, Gothic and other influences |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Art, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated May 11, 1976 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the State of California and open daily to the public as a museum and park; structural condition described as fair to good, with the north and south wings of the main house left uncompleted. |
| Acreage | 127.1 |
| Coordinates | 35.68460, -121.16992 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000253.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q378143
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.