Mrs. Knight had it graded in 1929 for $10,000 so that she and her guests could arrive by automobile. Widowed and then divorced, the newspapers at the time said Knight was one of the wealthiest women in America. Today, Lora Knight's Viking castle is considered perhaps the . Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism. Although their marriage was short-lived, Lora and Harry Knight were among the small group of St. Louis, Missouri, businessmen who were the principal financial backers of Charles Lindberghs famed 1927 flight across the Atlantic from New York to Paris. Currently it is used as a hiking trail by those wishing to visit this remarkable castle. Architect Palme estimated the projects total cost at $500,000. Try again later. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Learn more about merges. This was an era when Tahoe was first establishing itself as a summer haven for wealthy tourists who sought an escape from Californias cities. The figure the Armstrongs couldnt walk away from was $250,000, about $3.7 million when adjusted for inflation. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. PHOTO: u local. Vikingsholm was designed by Lennart Palme in 1928 as the summer home of Lora Josephine Knight, with construction completed in 1929. In a fjord-like setting at Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay State Park, the 38-room Vikingsholm castle is a rare masterpiece of Scandinavian architecture. [5], In 1924, the Knights hired Myron Hunt to build a home they named Cima del Mundo in Santa Barbara, California on the Montecito hillside. Today, Lora Knight's Viking castle is considered perhaps the . It was the first permanently occupied mountaintop observatory in the world and for nearly 10 years its telescope was the largest ever built. Make sure that the file is a photo. Vikingsholm Castle was build as the summer home of millionaire heiress Lora Josephine Knight in 1929. There is a single-lane dirt road that connects Vikingsholm with Highway 89. After traveling to Scandinavia Mrs. Knight along with her architect returned to the Lake Tahoe area and started construction on the Castle with ideas they gathered on their European tour. Currently it is used as a hiking trail by those wishing to visit this remarkable castle. Unfortunately, they were not happy together and divorced after just a couple of years. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. She writes about Lake Tahoe and mountain communities throughout the West. Inside the decor is a collection of original and replica antiques. Vikingsholm, Lake Tahoe, California, built from 1928 to 1929 as a summer home for Lora Josephine Knight. Support timbers were hand hewn and interior wallboard meticulously hand planed, while metal fixtures like fireplace screens, hinges and latches were hand forged on-site. Her father Edward A. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. Before starting construction, Knight and her architect traveled to Scandinavia to gather ideas for the house. [2] Her $3 million estate went mostly to relatives and church and educational organizations. Knight loved Tahoe, and for 16 years she enjoyed her summers at Wychwood, hosting friends and family members, but in 1928, she sold her beloved lakeside Shangri-La to Robert Stanley Dollar Sr., a wealthy San Francisco businessman. Wildlife have several strategies to endure Lake Tahoes winters, Steeped in old town Truckee history, Moodys serves up innovative cuisine, Earn your turns: Tahoe Backcountry Alliance encourages stewardship, accessibility to backcountry, The art of charcuteski: Craft an on-mountain dining experience with the skis that got you there. Work on the home ceased at first snowfall in the winter of 1928 and was started up again in the spring of 1929. A system error has occurred. In 1884, Lora gave birth to their only child, a son Nathaniel, who later married Helen Fargo, heiress to the Wells Fargo banking dynasty founded in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Construction on the castle began in the spring of 1929 and proceeded quickly as 200 workmen and artisans, housed in temporary barracks, quarried nearby stone and cut lumber. The only way to get to Fannette Island is by boat, kayak, or canoe. Nathan was an avid golfer and a participating member of the American Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 1904 Summer Games in Missouri. She then purchased 240 acres of land at the head of Emerald Bay, as well as Fannette Island, from the William Henry Armstrong family for $250,000. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Breakfast was at 8 a.m. sharp, but afterwards, time was for the taking to read, hike up to the waterfalls or go fishing off the dock, Smith said. Lora Josephine Knight (1 May 1864 - 26 June 1945) was a philanthropist from California who was at one time one of the wealthiest women in America according to newspaper reports. Mrs. Knight insisted that the natural environment of Emerald Bay be protected and so no trees were cut in the vicinity of the estate and the home was built around several large trees. Tahoe has a handful of historic mansions along its shoreline that date back to the late 1800s and first quarter of the 20th century. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. He had planned to make the area into a development for Hollywood elite, but the plan never materialized and he sold the property to Harvey West. This browser does not support getting your location. By the 1870s Lick was in poor health, but still fiercely determined to build the observatory. She built a castle on the island and served tea to her visitors. The sibling entrepreneurs eventually amassed quite a fortune with controlling interest in a number of large American corporations such as the Diamond Match Company, U.S. Steel and National Biscuit (Nabisco), the maker of Oreo cookies. Nathan Moore apparently knew how to have a good time, dying at the age of 25 of natural causes after spending the previous night at Chicagos most famous and expensive house of prostitution. Pieces of wood resembling spikes adorn the gutters in a nod to the Scandinavian custom people used to ward off evil spirits. Carved dragon heads are common as both interior and exterior decorations, as they were used in old Viking castles to divide the main room between the chieftain and his most honored guests from the women and children. Heading clockwise around the lake, the next stop is Emerald Bay State Park to check out Vikingsholm Castle, a 1929 stone summer home built by wealthy philanthropist Lora Josephine Knight and lauded as one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the western hemisphere. There is a single-lane dirt road that connects Vikingsholm with Highway 89. She commissioned her nephew by marriage, Lennart Palme, a Swedish architect, to design the home. Louis. Lora Knight died in 1945 and Lawrence Holland, a Nevada rancher purchased the Vikingsholm from her estate. Lora then purchased about 240 acres of land at the head of Emerald Bay, as well as Fannette Island, from the William Henry Armstrong family for $250,000. Harry and Lora were divorced in 1928 and Lora Knight sold her Lakefront estate in Chinquapin to Robert Stanley Dollar Sr., a wealthy San Francisco businessman. Nathan was an avid golfer and a participating member of the American Olympic team that won the gold medal at the 1904 Summer Games in Missouri. In 1922, Lora Moore married Harry French Knight, a stockbroker. In 1873, engineer Alexis Von Schmidt recommended the site for the proposed James Lick Astronomical Observatory that would house the worlds most powerful space telescope. . Lindbergh approached the Knights about helping fund his effort to be the first to fly nonstop across the Atlantic at a St. Louis airfield where Harry, an aspiring aviator, was taking flying lessons. After a few sales, in 1928, Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight bought the land with the desire to build a summer home that would compliment the magnificent natural surroundings. As fate would have it, Lora married James and her sister Ada married William. [4], Knight was known for her hospitality, philanthropy, and eye for real estate. She exhibited Indian baskets, including some by the noted Washoe weaver Dat-So-La-Lee, also known as Louisa Keyser. It is an enjoyable little kayak excursion to the island. In the 1950's after Lora Josephine Knight died, the castle was sold to Harvey West, which is a name you probably recognize if you've spent some time around Lake Tahoe. Lora Josephine Knight was a philanthropist who valued community and education. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. Her Vikingsholm Castle was completed in 1929 and reflected Scandinavian style of construction and architectural design. [1][3] She also built a small teahouse on Fannette Island inside the bay. Failed to delete memorial. Read our E-edition from your preferred device. Burial. She exhibited Indian baskets, including some by the noted Washoe weaver Dat-So-La-Lee, also known as Louisa Keyser. Despite its ancient motif, Vikingsholm had all the conveniences available in the 1930s, including electricity, modern fixtures and private baths in the bedrooms. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Small, was a corporate lawyer who accepted two . Built in the late 1920s from owner's Lora Josephine Knight's inspiring Norwegian travels Vikingsholm was constructed from local granite and hand-hewn timbers. The castle was built in the shape of a horseshoe with two wings . Oops, something didn't work. The family spent most of their time in Chicago but vacationed in California often. The Vikingsholm castle greets visitors to Emerald Bay. Architect Palme estimated the projects total cost at $500,000. James Lick, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, first struck it rich in the California Gold Rush and then parlayed his luck into a fortune by investing in San Franciscos booming real estate market. They also spent time at their luxury homes in Illinois and Wisconsin. Lennart Palme said: The problem of placing Vikingsholm without disturbing the trees was perhaps the trickiest I have had to solve either abroad or in these United States.. Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. Lora Josephine Knight, who in 1929 built the stone and timber Vikingsholm castle at the base of the bay, said Emerald Bay reminded her of a Scandinavian fjord. Lora Josephine Knight's legacy is enshrined in the magnificent Scandinavian castle "Vikingsholm" that she had built at Emerald Bay in 1929, but her first property at Tahoe was actually located at Chinquapin, a sheltered cove just east of Dollar Point in Carnelian Bay. 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