Architect Julia Morgan Broke Barriers, Built Enduring Legacy
Author: Kadence Buchanan

Among the pioneers and luminaries named to the California Hall
of Fame in 2008 is a woman whose vision and skill make her a
giant of architectural genius, though she stood but five feet
tall. Julia Morgan's work adorns California from the Bay area
and far beyond, crowned by her most famous work, the design and
construction of Hearst Castle that hovers over San Simeon Bay.

An Architect by Birth
Morgan was born in 1872 in San Francisco and graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley, in 1894 equipped with a
degree in civil engineering. This was likely not the first
indication that Julia Morgan was destined to become a
groundbreaker for women in a male dominated profession, but it
was the springboard for an illustrious career that blazed a path
in architectural innovation.

Her skills were finely honed at one of the world's most
prestigious architectural schools, Ecole des Beaux- Artes in
Paris. There, pushing the limits of convention, she was twice
denied admission. According to Morgan, her rejection was based
solely on gender. Finally admitted after placing 13th out of a
field of 376 applicants to take the rigorous entrance exam, she
became the first woman to graduate with an architectural degree
from the world famous school.

A Career Begins
Julia Morgan had a singular focus - architecture suited to the
environment that surrounded the building. She was able to
successfully blend the strictly classical training she received
in Paris with her home-grown love of the California landscape in
its many natural variations. . In 1904, she again exerted her
individuality and started her own architectural firm in San
Francisco. She began to receive commissions and build a
reputation. One of her first assignments was a home in Grass
Valley, in the foothills of the Sierra, where she built the
North Star House in the Arts and Crafts style.

The widespread devastation of San Francisco after the 1906
earthquake caused an interesting side effect as the acute need
for rebuilding mitigated prejudice against a female architect.
Her own office, on Montgomery Street, was among the hundreds to
crumble into ruins. From those years of intense design and
reconstruction, Julia Morgan was never at a loss for work and
her reputation grew as steadily as did her body of work.

Assertive and Individual
Certainly, one of the hallmarks of Morgan's hundreds of homes,
buildings and public edifices is eclecticism. Armed with her
classical education, she was never caught up in a particular
trend, design or architectural paradigm. Morgan designed her
buildings with consideration for the site, use and the
surrounding environment. Her work ranged from extraordinarily
ornate and opulent, to simple and functional. She was
comfortable working in many architectural styles and considered
each commission a newly stretched canvas upon which she'd create
a site-specific masterpiece.

The range of Julia Morgan's work is equally extensive. She
built for billionaire magnates such as William Randolph Hearst,
but attacked more modest projects with the same dedicated focus.
Among her public buildings are YWCA's, the Riverside Art Museum
and the Los Angeles Examiner Building. She also worked
extensively on college campuses in Northern California and
designed the Mills College Bell Tower as well as buildings for
churches and private homes.

She is most widely known for her work with the Hearst family.
The crown jewel, of course, is Hearst Castle which is visited by
millions of people each year. There, she was remembered for
wearing stylish slacks and silk blouses while scrambling quickly
into the construction work to make certain the details of her
design were being followed and properly executed by craftsmen,
carpenters and masons. Julia Morgan dedicated years of labor,
love and exceptional creativity to build the vast estate that
sits atop "La Cuesta Encantada" - The Enchanted Hill. As
visitors from around the world know, it takes many hours to
appreciate the 165 rooms, gardens, water features and acres that
make Hearst Castle a woman-made wonder on the Pacific Coast.

From Bavaria to Wyntoon
Less well known, but nonetheless breathtaking is the Bavarian
Village at Wyntoon, built in the 1930s. This was Hearst's 50,000
acre getaway that lies in the shadow of Mount Shasta in Northern
California. At this heavily wooded site, Julia Morgan felt the
pull of Bavaria and Austria, with timbered building sheltered by
tall pines and crisp clean air filled with the scent of pine.

To make Hearst's many distinguished guests comfortable, Morgan
designed three guest houses, each three stories tall. There were
four to eight bedrooms in each timbered house along with sitting
rooms. All looked out to a grassy expanse and backed up to the
rushing sound of the McCloud River that meanders through the
estate.

True to her love and connection to the natural environment,
Morgan used local stone and wood in the construction of the
Bavarian Village. The effect remains timeless as steep roofs jut
skyward with many gables and faceted windows framed by massive
timbers. It is, indeed, as if a small piece of Bavaria was
lifted up and gently eased into the California landscape. But,
upon closer examination Julia Morgan's touch of genius took the
traditional architecture to new heights. The many artistic
touches and unusual conventions that Morgan brought to the
Village are entirely unique.

In preparation for building the Village, Morgan and her sister,
Anna, traveled with Hearst to Bavaria in 1931. Some experts
speculate this visit furthered Morgan and Hearst's resolve to
carry forth the Bavarian theme because they sensed the rise of
Adolf Hitler might threaten the survival of Austrian and
Bavarian architectural treasures.

The Wyntoon Bavarian Village guest houses were named for fairy
tale characters - Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty
among others. A noted muralist from New York added his artistry
to the outside walls of two of the buildings, painting fanciful
scenes of tales from the Brothers Grimm. Among the most
embellished was Hearst's personal home on the property - the
Bear House. There, the muralist painted scenes from Snow White
and Rose Red over the entire stucco exterior.

As with many of Julia Morgan's major projects, select artisans
- men and women - traveled with her to ply their craft on her
projects. Although she never married, Morgan attracted a rich
following of friends and colleagues in whom she had confidence
and respect for their work. Wyntoon is a prime example of the
kind of team work that characterized Julia Morgan's long and
successful career.

An Isolated End
After hundreds of notable projects and widespread recognition
of her considerable talent and leadership, Julia Morgan's last
years were spent in self-imposed isolation. With many of her
friends and family gone, including Hearst who died in 1951,
Morgan felt herself failing. No longer able to work, to express
the passion that had fueled her life, she chose to become
reclusive. She died on February 7, 1957, leaving behind
endowments for aspiring architects, scholarships and an
unparalleled body of work.

She also left behind a road - one that started out a rough and
cobbled path to be maneuvered by only the most bold and brave of
young women. Today, that road is paved and many women architects
stand on the mighty reputation of Julia Morgan, a California
original.


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