The publishing magnate George Hearst first envisioned the recently renovated, eleven-bedroom home, complete with an Oval Office, a century ago.
The “Western White House” in the California Bay Area will soon be available for purchase by home buyers hoping to live like the head of state.
Located in the center of San Mateo County, on a private, nearly 3-acre stretch of woods, is the 24,000-square-foot mansion, which was built in 1930 and is roughly half the size of the actual White House in Washington, D.C. Concierge Auctions, which is managing the sale on its online marketplace in collaboration with listing agents Alex Buljan and Pierre Buljan of Compass, has announced that the historic replica, which was most recently on the market for US$36.9 million, is going to auction this week without reserve. Bids are expected to open on Thursday.
Situated in the posh hamlet of Hillsborough on El Cerrito Avenue, this neoclassical Georgian-style mansion welcomes guests with a stately horseshoe driveway and an accurate reproduction of the iconic exterior at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, complete with imposing columns.
“It includes its own ‘East Room,’ intricate fixture details, chandeliers in every room and rose gardens throughout the courtyard, all reminiscent of the actual White House,” Buljan said. Its privacy, hidden from the main road, adds to the “presidential palace experience,” he added.
The house has a rich history, befitting a realistic recreation of one of the most well-known structures on the globe. Although the original building dates to the late 1800s, it was not until the media tycoon George Hearst—son of politician and media magnate William Randolph Hearst—bought the property and hired the prolific, multi-award winning architect Julia Morgan to design the replica in the 1920s that the structure began to take on its current form. (Morgan’s portfolio consisted of over 700 Californian buildings, the most notable of which being the 1919–1947 construction of the Hearst Castle in San Simeon for William Randolph Hearst.)
George Hearst, who was inspired by his father’s political career, intended to run for president in the future and gave the property to the US government so that it could be used as a presidential house on the West Coast to supplement the one on the East Coast. Even if it never happened, the estate’s reputation grew.
Although there are other White House replicas across the nation, including ones in Atlanta, Dallas, and McLean, Virginia, the auctioneer is promoting this one as the most appropriate for a president.
Over four stories, there are eleven bedrooms, nine complete bathrooms, and five half-bathrooms. There is no shortage of natural light thanks to the high ceilings and numerous windows. Elaborate crown molding, wooden flooring, and ostentatious chandeliers are examples of accents that go well with modern features and clean lines.
