Yesterday, I gave you a glimpse of Hearst Castle. The State Park (donated to California by the Hearst Corporation) consists of buildings, gardens and land. When people say “Hearst Castle”, they are referring to “La Casa Grande”, the biggest building in the complex.
The details and ornamentation on the main building are very rich. The house façade is carved with saints, heroes and ferocious animals. Some of the rooms I was able to appreciate have three dimensional ceilings, furniture made from precious woods, tapestries, statues, flags, chandeliers and much more. The process of creating such a monumental work took about 28 years.
Even though the house and the gardens are spectacular, the showstoppers, in my opinion, are the pools. I don’t know if the architect was aware of the attention grabbing feeling the pools can cause.
There are tons of grand residences and palaces around the world. However, how many pools can take your breath away?
My mind was so blown away by the beauty of Hearst’s pools that I had to dedicate an entire post to them.
Take a look:
Neptune Pool
This is the Castle’s outdoor swimming pool. It is fed by mountain water and is surrounded by ancient Roman style columns and statues. As the rest of the complex (Casa Grande and other buildings), it was designed by architect Julia Morgan.
Hearst had the pool rebuilt three times (talking about picky tastes). The centerpiece is the façade of an ancient Roman temple imported to California from Europe.
This is probably the most beautiful pool I have seen in my life.
Roman Pool
This is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17 CE.
The pool is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1″ square mosaic tiles. These glass tiles, called smalti, are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect.
It is kind of amazing to be surrounded by so much gold.
The Views
The views complement the beauty of the entire place. Definetly, the perfect location was chosen to build all these masterpieces. From the castle, the Willian Randolph Hears State beach can be observed.
What is the greatest pool you have seen? Let me know in the comments section below.
Great pics, Ruth. I’ve been to Hearst twice and would be happy to go again. Incredible place & he pools are amazing.
Cathy Sweeney recently posted..Featured Museum: History, Chicago-style
Cool! I’ve always wanted to visit this place, being involved in journalism and all and having learned a lot about him. I had no idea it was so fancy, though! Those pools are amazing!