Lost L.A.: William Randolph Hearst's Mount Vernon on the beach

Lost L.A.: William Randolph Hearst’s Mount Vernon on the beach

July 6, 2009 12 PM PT

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In this month’s installment of Lost L.A., our columnist explores the now demolished Santa Monica beach house that William Randolph Hearst built for Marion Davies in 1931. The house was modeled on George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, and columnist Sam Watters suggests that Hearst was influenced by nationalist sentiments as he guided his architects, set designer William E. Flannery and California architect Julia Morgan. To read more about this grandiose beach house, see Watters’ column, Hearst’s Mount Vernon West.

-- Deborah Netburn

L.A. at Home

Deborah Netburn

Deborah Netburn covers faith, spirituality and joy for the Los Angeles Times. She started at The Times in 2006 and has worked across a wide range of sections including entertainment, home and garden, national news, technology and science.