‘Western White House’ replica for sale in Hillsborough for $38.9M
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A Hillsborough mansion designed a century ago by Julia Morgan as a replica of the White House in Washington is on the market for nearly $39 million.
The home, known as the “Western White House,” was envisioned by its owner George Hearst to serve as an outpost for the president of the United States, and be used as a springboard to the presidency by its owner, according to the listing agent, Alex Buljan of Compass.
George Hearst was the son of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The company the Hearsts built now owns The Chronicle.
According to Buljan, who grew up in Hillsborough himself and spent a year researching the property, the interior is precise to the point that it contains a replica of both the Oval Office and the East Room.
But Hearst never lived in the monument he created — it was all meant to show that he was serious about wanting the job.
“That’s how the story goes,” said Buljan, 36. “He had aspirations to be president and this was his way to get his foot in the door.”
By the time the presidential hopeful bought the home, sometime around 1915, it had already been relocated on rollers, 300 feet downhill from its original location, the site of what is now Crystal Springs Upland School.
courtesy Brian Kitts Visuals
Buljan said it was originally a wood-shingled Swiss chalet-style house that had been built in 1878 by cattle rancher William Howard, on land known as the Uplands. Howard sold it to Charles Crocker, a member of the Big Four railroad magnates known as the Robber Barons.
Crocker willed it to his son, who wanted to make his own architectural statement but needed to get rid of the Swiss chalet in order to do so. His solution was to off-load the house to a contractor in exchange for moving it off his land. That’s how the home ended up on El Cerrito street in what is known as Lower Hillsborough.
In 1930, Hearst commissioned Morgan to design its makeover, having been impressed with her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon.
“His idea was to gift it to the government as a ‘Western White House’ and also a way of getting his name out there,” Buljan said. There is no evidence that Buljan could uncover to indicate that the gift was ever officially offered or turned down.
When it did not have the desired effect, Hearst sold it. President Richard Nixon co-opted the Western White House concept when he bought an estate in San Clemente in 1969 overlooking the Pacific Ocean — though that property looked nothing like the one in Washington.
courtesy Brian Kitts Visuals
The Hillsborough property has changed hands many times. Among its owners was Jack Foster, who built his own namesake city. According to an article in the San Mateo Times, John Lennon and Yoko Ono were in contract to buy it in the early 1970s but backed out.
In 2022, Buljan, who works with his father Pierre Buljan, sold it to a client, Mehrdad Elie, for $15 million.
“It was tired and not functional for modern standards,” Buljan said, in explaining the discounted sales price.
The home is 24,350 square feet on four levels and contains 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a half bath. The White House itself is 55,000 square feet with 16 bedrooms, so by comparison the western outpost could be considered cozy enough for a family of four, which is what the buyer intended.
courtesy Brian Kitts Visuals
According to Buljan, the buyer spent a year remodeling the interior and put around $6 million into a new kitchen and central air, before deciding the project was too overwhelming.
The home went back on the market 10 days ago at $38.9 million, more than double the price a year prior. It is not an easy property to see: There will be no open house and any prospective buyer must submit to an initial screening by both the agent and the seller.
The exterior remains untouched, exactly as designed. But it is difficult to see from the street, far less visible than the White House in Washington. It is set back on a 3-acre lot and protected by a double hedge. There are gates in front and the driveway is 300 feet long. Only a side view can be glimpsed from the street.
“You could drive up and down El Cerrito every day and not even realize it is there,” Buljan said.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
