Castlewood Country Club

 golf course, country club

707 Country Club Cir.
Pleasanton, Ca 94566
(925) 846-2871

www.castlewoodcc.org

Phoebe Hearst arrived in California in 1862 as the bride of George Hearst, a miner who had made a fortune after the Gold Rush. His death in 1891 left his widow fabulously wealthy and free to pursue her charitable and intellectual interests, including archaeology, education, and women’s rights.

In 1886, her husband purchased 500 acres of the old Bernal Rancho located south of Pleasanton, which also contained the Alisal Rancheria with approximately 125 Indians residing there, but died shortly thereafter in 1891. William Randolph then started to convert the ranch house on the property into a hunting lodge.

Hearst feared that her son was going to use it to entertain his rough friends, so she took over the project. She also wanted more than a hunting lodge. A long-time supporter of women’s advancement, she hired Julia Morgan, the first female architecture student at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first licensed female architect in California.

It would take more than a decade to complete Hearst’s mansion, but it ended up being one of the most magnificent homes in America. Hacienda del Pozo de Verona was named after a 15th-century carved-stone wellhead (pozzo means well in Italian) that William Randolph had shipped from Verona, Italy. The house was a showcase from the moment a visitor stepped into its large entry courtyard and was greeted by the sight of the ornate wellhead serving as a large fountain. Inside, Hearst exhibited her massive collection of artwork and furniture, as well as artifacts from around the world that she picked up on her travels. Western Pacific Railroad also built a train station so that the Victorian elite and other guests could visit with Mrs. Hearst at the Hacienda. This railway stop was called Verona Station.

The main building was three stories and had more than 50 rooms. One of the fireplaces was large enough to spit-roast a whole ox. The estate’s playhouse, designed for Hearst’s five grandchildren, rose two stories high and contained 13 rooms, billiard tables, and several reading rooms.

The list of guests over the years included royalty, artists, composers, presidents, and movie stars from far and wide.

Hearst used the house as a base of operations for her busy family and philanthropic life until she died in 1919. A few years later, William Randolph sold the house to a group of businessmen who developed Castlewood Country Club, and the house served as the original clubhouse until it was destroyed by fire in 1969.