 At the Port of San Francisco , Steilberg inspected each shipment of stones , several thousand crates in all . The Haslett warehouse , between Fisherman 's Wharf and the Hyde Street Pier , was used for storage . With groundbreaking set for July 1931 and the last freighter carrying stones still in transit , Hearst stopped his grand plan for Wyntoon because his fortunes were too far reduced from the Great Depression . The stones stayed in the warehouse , incurring annual storage fees of $ 15 @,@ 000 in 1930s dollars . 
