White House Replica Mansion on Sale in California
Newspaper heir George R. Hearst around 1930, the oldest son of William Randolph Hearst commissioned architect Julia Morgan to convert his Hillsborough, Calif., home into a replica of the White House. The resulting structure contains replicas of the Oval Office, East Room and White House Rose Garden. Now the 11-bedroom estate, known as the Western White House, is going on the market for $38.9 million. Located about 20 miles outside San Francisco, the mansion is about 24,350 square feet, according to marketing materials. The sellers are real-estate investor Mehrdad Elie and his wife, Neda Elie. The original design was a four-story Swiss chalet with 36 rooms. In the 1900s, a local contractor jacked up the house and moved it with horse-drawn rollers about a half mile across San Mateo Creek to its current location. Shortly after its arrival, however, the chalet caught fire and two of its four stories were destroyed. Hearst acquired the property around 1927, according to the historical association.
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