Livestream, exhibit and book celebrate Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan’s 150th birthday
The 150th birthday of Julia Morgan, California’s first licensed architect whose resume includes Hearst Castle, is being honored by State Parks, Cal Poly and a notable author’s new book, all within a month.
It’s all very timely: Jan. 20 was Morgan’s birthday.
She designed more than 700 projects throughout her career, including the Castle, the Monday Club in San Luis Obispo and other notable buildings throughout this county and the state.
Morgan was the Castle’s sole architect, landscape architect and interior designer.
Livestream
On Jan. 20, the staffs at Hearst Castle and Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds (another Morgan-designed facility) presented a free, digital celebration of the famed architect’s birthday.
It included tours and descriptions of Morgan’s work at both facilities, along with details about the history of the architect who broke ground in many ways, both literally and with the breaking of numerous glass ceilings that had been firmly in place during her lifetime.
A video of the 55-minute presentation can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qruZTb6xAog.
Cal Poly exhibit
Through Friday, Feb. 11, the Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design is presenting an exhibit of curated artifacts called “Julia Morgan, Architect: Challenging Convention.”
The exhibit includes original drawings, photographs and correspondences from Morgan’s personal and professional papers.
The exhibit is located at Cal Poly’s University Art Gallery in the Dexter Building (No. 34), Room 171, and will remain open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
An interactive virtual tour mirrors the exhibition online and will be open to the public through April 30. It’s at bit.ly/357z50z.
New biography
The long-awaited new book about Morgan by former Castle historian Victoria Kastner, “Julia Morgan: An Intimate Biography of the Trailblazing Architect,” is set to go on sale March 1.
Global shipping issues delayed the book’s publication date several times, Kastner told The Tribune in early January.
The book draws on new interviews as well as Julia Morgan’s personal correspondence and handwritten diaries. It also features over 150 archival images and new color photographs of many Julia Morgan buildings throughout the book.
For details or to preorder, go to https://amzn.to/3AeFCln. The price on Amazon ranges from $9.99 for the Kindle version to $24.95 for the hardcover book.
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 12:28 PM.
