Julia Morgan designed this Mission Revival hacienda for William Randolph Hearst using poured concrete instead of adobe. A domed north tower was built in Moorish Revival style above the main living quarters. The building replaced an earlier wooden structure known as the Milpitas Ranch House which had been destroyed by fire in the 1920s.

The building was not originally supplied with electricity. Wires for a single telephone line were run from Hearst Castle. Wood stoves and fireplaces supplied heat. Candles and lanterns provided light. A well near the San Antonio River provided water. Residents included mechanics, gardeners, cooks, cowboys and farmhands.

Guests could drive in, fly in or ride horses from Hearst Castle. Guests included Spencer Tracy, Dick Powell, Will Rogers, Clark Gable, Herbert Hoover, Jean Harlow, Leslie Howard and Errol Flynn. Marion Davies stayed in one of the four tower suites when she visited.

In 1940, Hearst sold the structure and its surrounding property to the United States Army. The land and buildings became part of Fort Hunter Liggett.

When we photographed Hearst Hacienda in 2018, the Army owned it and a concessionaire operated it as a public hotel within the military base.

Source: Adapted from Wikipedia.