Daughter Traces Builder's Role at Hearst Castle

"He was flamboyant, all right. But he was much more than that. He was an extremely colorful personality and a close friend of The Chief (Hearst). His input went beyond that of the builder and overlapped into the interior design and even in the choice of furnishings."

"Not until I began reading some of the brochures on the castle, did I realize how little was known about my father, who worked for Julia Morgan and supervised construction of all the main existing structures from 1921 to 1932."

"My father was very young and daring in those earlier years in Mexico and his life style read like an Errol Flynn movie epic."

Milicent Patrick Trent, an actress and illustrator, has uncovered evidence of her father Camille Charles Rossi's major role in constructing Hearst Castle. Rossi worked directly with William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan, supervising construction of the main structures from 1921 to 1932. Despite his crucial contributions, historical chronicles barely mention Rossi, reducing him to a brief notation describing him as a flamboyant superintendent. Trent's yearlong research was prompted by a 1985 Times article about George Loorz's construction records. According to Trent, her father's influence extended beyond construction management into interior design and furnishings selection, making him far more integral to the castle's development than previously documented.

Read at Los Angeles Times