have described the mansion as a pure Gothic fantasy, although it did owe some of its design elements to the alcázars of Spain and to depictions of castles in medieval illuminated manuscripts.

[1] In February 1924, Belmont purchased the adjoining Sands Point Light property at auction for $100,000 ($1.8 million in present value) to add more privacy to her estate.

While Hearst owned the estate, renovations were made; the roof was raised and dormers were added, windows were expanded or removed, and the entryway was remodeled, changing the entrance to a recessed doorway.

A new development was later built on the site, but scattered structural remains and the original gatehouse survived.

[2][5] Literary scholars believe the mansion helped inspire F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby,[5] which describes the house of Jay Gatsby as A factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin bead of raw ivy, and marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of land.Beacon Towers reportedly also inspired the design of Gatsby's mansion in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film adaptation of the novel.