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Wednesday, May. 09, 2007

Royal renovation

Crews work to restore Hearst Castle's iconic Neptune Pool to its former grandeur by June

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Hearst Castle crews are taking the do-it yourself approach to fixing the museum's famous Neptune Pool, now drained for the second time in two years because of leaks.

The main part of the pool is 104 feet long and 58 feet wide, stretching to 95 feet wide at an alcove. Able to hold 345,000 gallons of water -- enough to fill more than a dozen typical backyard pools -- it's surrounded by a colonnade and statuary in the classical style, including a depiction of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

The pool was completed in the 1930s. When a leak was detected in 2006, it had been more than a decade since the pool was last drained. The 2003 San Simeon Earthquake, with its magnitude of 6.5, may have contributed to leaks, said restoration supervisor Bruce Jackson of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which has owned the Castle since 1957.

Castle crews used a sealant last year to try to stop a leak of about 8,000 gallons a day, but water loss continued. By the time more repairs began in January, as many as 20,000 gallons a day were being lost.

This year, crews are removing damaged marble tiles and replacing them with new tile from the same Vermont quarry as the originals.

Total cost of the project will be about $7,800. Tile setting is expected to begin next week, and the pool is expected to be back to normal by June.