Tor House and Hawk Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Robinson Jeffers House
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Tor House and Hawk Tower viewed from the southwest
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 Location in Monterey Peninsula
Location in California
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| Location | 26304 Ocean View Avenue, Carmel, California |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1962 |
| Built by | Robinson Jeffers |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000444 |
| Added to NRHP | October 10, 1975 |
Tor House and Hawk Tower are two special buildings in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. They were the home of the famous poet Robinson Jeffers and his family for many years, from 1919 to 1999. People often call these two buildings together "Tor House." Many believe that living here helped Robinson Jeffers become the great poet he was. The unique design of the house has also inspired many visitors. Stewart Brand, who started the Whole Earth Catalog, even called Tor House "a poem-like masterpiece." He said it had "more direct intelligence per square inch than any other house in America."
Contents
Building Tor House: A Poet's Home
How Tor House Was Built
In the spring of 1919, Robinson Jeffers and his wife, Una, bought some land at Carmel Point. By mid-May, they hired a builder named Mike Murphy to construct a stone cottage for them. Murphy was a well-known builder in Carmel.
Murphy's stonemason started working on the house right away. Robinson Jeffers even joined as an apprentice, learning how to build with stone. They finished the cottage by mid-August. To build the outside walls of Tor House, they used strong ropes and horses to pull large granite boulders from the beach below.
When it was first built, the house had one bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and an attic.
Adding More to the House
After the cottage was finished, Jeffers started building more parts himself. He built a separate garage and a low stone wall to create a courtyard. He finished these projects in 1920.
Next, he began working on a tower, which took him four years to complete. After a short break from stonework, he built a dining room with a special fireplace for cooking. This was finished in 1930.
In 1937, Jeffers started building an "east wing." He wanted this part to be a home for his sons, who were in their twenties. He couldn't finish this last project because his health declined. However, his son Donnan completed it for him.
Hawk Tower: A Place for Inspiration
Building Hawk Tower
After building the stone garage and wall, Jeffers began working on a tower. His wife, Una, encouraged him to build it. He started in 1920, and the stone part of the tower was finished in late 1924. A paid carpenter completed the wooden parts in 1925.
Jeffers named it "Hawk Tower." He said he named it after a hawk that often appeared while he was building. The hawk stopped appearing after the tower was finished. Jeffers seemed to adopt the hawk as his symbol. He placed Una's symbol, a unicorn, above her second-floor door. He put a hawk above the door to his third-floor lookout.
Inside Hawk Tower
The first floor of the tower has a special space where Jeffers could write. A spiral staircase leads up to an observation point at the very top. From there, you can see amazing views of Carmel Bay, Point Lobos, and Pebble Beach.
Many people believe that while Jeffers was building Hawk Tower, from 1920 to 1924, he truly found his unique style as a poet. During the last year of the tower's stonework, he put together and printed a small number of copies of his book, Tamar and Other Poems. He couldn't find a big publisher for the book until some editors from the Book Club of California discovered his work.
Preserving Tor House and Hawk Tower
Today, the Tor House and Hawk Tower are looked after by the Tor House Foundation. This organization was started in 1978. They manage the property as a museum. Their goal is to keep the buildings just as they were and to preserve their important history.
