6: Projects for the Hearst Family: Wyntoon

Originally designed and built by Bernard Maybeck for Phoebe Hearst in 1902, this isolated seven story gothic stone castle at Wyntoon near the California/Oregon border was destroyed by fire in January, 1930.  W.R. Hearst rebuilt the castle, hiring both Maybeck and Morgan. Originally planned as a huge manor house with 61 bedrooms, even W.R. understood the costs associated with that to be prohibitive. Morgan proposed a “Bavarian village” instead, with three 3-story guesthouses, swimming pool, tennis courts, croquet courts, dining and movie areas, and a main structure called The Bend.[1] Morgan used local stone and wood, what we would currently call “green building.” The guest cottages were named and painted Cinderella; Snow White–Rose Red or the Bear; and Angel, Sleeping Beauty or Fairy. In sharp contrast to San Simeon, Wyntoon is still owned by the Hearsts, and still used by the corporation and the family. Morgan was involved with Wyntoon from 1924-1940s. [2]