Vikingsholm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Vikingsholm
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| Nearest city | South Lake Tahoe, California |
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| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Lennart Palme, AIA; Matt Green |
| Architectural style | American Craftsman, Late 19th and early 20th Scandinavian Century Revivals |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001078 |
| Added to NRHP | October 10, 1996 |
Vikingsholm is a beautiful 38-room mansion located right on the edge of Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, in California. It's a very special place, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and many people say it's one of the best examples of Scandinavian building style in all of North America.
Contents
The Story of Vikingsholm
Vikingsholm was built as a summer house for a woman named Lora Josephine Knight. Construction began in 1928, and about 200 workers finished the building in 1929. Before they started, Mrs. Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia. They wanted to get ideas for the house's unique design.
Some parts of Vikingsholm were built using old methods. This means they didn't use any nails or spikes. Most of the materials used to build the house came from the local area.
Mrs. Knight and her husband, Harry, were also important supporters of Charles Lindbergh. He made the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927.
Later, a wealthy lumberman named Harvey West owned the land. In 1953, he sold it to the state of California. He sold it for half of what it was worth, making it easier for the state to protect this special place.
Vikingsholm at Emerald Bay State Park
Vikingsholm is part of Emerald Bay State Park. This park is so important that it has been named a National Natural Landmark. You can take tours of the Vikingsholm mansion, which is now a museum. There is a small fee to visit inside.
Mrs. Knight also had a small "Tea House" on Fannette Island in the bay. This island and the Tea House are also part of Emerald Bay State Park.
Buildings at Vikingsholm
There are six main buildings on the Vikingsholm property. These include the main house, a workshop, a duplex, the teahouse, a transformer building, and a gardener's cottage. Other structures like rock walls and water tanks were also built when Mrs. Knight owned the property.
The main house has four rectangular sections that surround a central courtyard. Its walls are covered with pine and fir wood siding. These wooden parts have beautiful hand-carvings. Some walls also show exposed stone.
The east section is the main part of the house. It has a tall, square tower at one end and a two-story tower at the other. You can see carved Scandinavian serpent designs above the doors and windows. These carvings face both the lake and the courtyard. The walls of this section look like those of Olavinlinna, a stone castle built a long time ago in 1015 AD. They use light-colored mortar with dark stones.
North and South Wings
The north and south sections of the house have special roofs covered with grass. These are called sod roofs. They even had an original sprinkler system to keep the grass and wildflowers growing. The north section was used for storage and for the staff to live. The south section was a workshop and garage.
The West Wing
The west section of the house had an apartment for the caretaker. It also had laundry facilities. The original roof here was made of split logs, held together without nails. After a tree fell, a new shingled roof was built. This roof has carved beams that look like dragon heads. The entrance to the caretaker's apartment has a covered porch with decorative carvings. These carvings were inspired by a church entrance the architect saw in Scandinavia.
The Duplex Building
The duplex is a two-story, square house. Its walls have decorative false logs, and the porches are made of mortared stone. This building was first used for extra guest rooms. Today, it serves as the museum and visitor's center for the park.
The Teahouse on Fannette Island
The teahouse is located on Fannette Island, which is in the middle of Emerald Bay. You can only reach it by boat. Natural-looking stairs carved into the rock lead up to this square, stone house. It used to have a flat roof, a door, and windows. Sadly, these were damaged over time. Now, only the main stone structure remains. There is a stone fireplace inside. This building was originally used to host guests for tea parties. The path up to the teahouse was fixed in 2007.
See also
In Spanish: Vikingsholm para niños
