Replica White House Sells for $23M

Hearst heir once planned to give it to the government as a 'Western White House'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2024 7:45 AM CDT

Whoever loses the White House race in November will find that it's too late to console themselves by moving into a replica once intended to be the "Western White House." The home in Hillsborough, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, has been sold for $23 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The home dates to around 1870. In the 1920s, George Hearst, son of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, commissioned Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan to transform it into a White House replica, complete with an Oval Office, an East Room, a Rose Garden, and a faithful replica of the facade.

"The story is that he had aspirations to be a president, a presidential candidate one day," realtor Alex Buljan told KGO when the house was listed for $38.9 million last year. "His idea was to gift it to the United States government to make it a Western White House, a residence on the western coast of the United States to complement the one on the East Coast. That never actually came to fruition and George actually never even moved in and lived here." The 24,400-square foot, 11-bedroom house, which sits on three acres of land, is about half the size of the real White House, according to Mansion Global.

Real estate investors Mehrdad and Neda Elie paid $15 million for the property in 2022 and spent around $6 million on renovations, the Sacramento Bee reports. The home's interior "blends vintage accents like intricate crown molding with contemporary elements throughout its four floors," and its lower level "includes staff quarters, a fitness room, wine cellar, living room, and laundry," according to the Bee. Buljan has not disclosed the buyer's identity.

(More luxury real estate stories.)

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