The All-American all-time best hall of fame

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Jan 6, 1997 | by Gayle M.B. Hanson

What's a future hall of famer to do? Go West, young man! There, in the swanky San Francisco suburb of Hillsborough, anyone with $8 million can purchase the so-called "Western White House," glorious reproduction of the genuine Washington article designed by legendary Bay area architect Julia Morgan, best known for the Hearst Castle at San Simeon.

With 22 rooms and 10 working fireplaces, the Western White House does not have the scope of the 42-room original. But even though no presidents have slept there, it has its own illustrious past.

"There is a lot of old California history in this house" says Ann Riley, the broker who has listed it. "The Crocker family first owned the property. And in 1930 George Hearst, the eldest son of William Randolph Hearst, hired Morgan to redesign the building. The results are quite splendid. It is a very s" place."

In the 1970s Beatle John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono intended to buy the house but backed out of the deal at the last minute, according to reports published at the time. Banker Norman Eckersley currently holds the deed.

Potential purchasers are vetted before being shown the property to keep out curiosity seekers. Those who show up at the site hoping for pi glimpse of its Waterford chandeliers and silk-lined walls can take consolation. The Barbie Museum and Hall of Fame is just down the road in Palo Alto.