Vikingsholm

Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion on the shore of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, in El Dorado County, California, U.S., and on the National Register of Historic Places.

Vikingsholm
Vikingsholm Castle, on Emerald Bay of Lake Tahoe, California.
Nearest citySouth Lake Tahoe, California
Built1929[1]
ArchitectLennart Palme, AIA; Matt Green
Architectural styleAmerican Craftsman, Late 19th and early 20th Scandinavian Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.96001078[2]
Added to NRHPOctober 10, 1996

History

The Vikingsholm foundation was laid in 1928; the building was constructed in 1929 by 200 workers.[1] Vikingsholm was built by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. Before starting construction, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. Some parts of the structure contain no nails or spikes, as a result of old-fashioned construction methods. Most of the building was made from local materials.

While Mrs. Knight is known for building Vikingsholm, she and her businessman husband Harry were also primary backers of Charles Lindbergh's non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.

Emerald Bay State Park

Vikingsholm, along with the "Tea House" on Fannette Island and Emerald Bay, is a part of Emerald Bay State Park. Emerald Bay has also been declared a National Natural Landmark. Tours are given of the American Craftsman Vikingsholm museum home for a nominal fee.

Harvey West donated the park to California

References
  1. "Vikingsholm". vikingsholm.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.