Hearst Castle is a National and California Historical
Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It
was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper
magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst
Corporation donated the property to the state of California. Since that time it
has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate, and its
considerable collection of art and antiques, is open for public tours. Despite
its location far from any urban center, the site attracts about one million
visitors per year.