Scandinavian Architecture in Tahoe: Vikingsholm

Vikingsholm’s east and north wings, Photo:  Anjelika Gretskaia

Lake Tahoe's blue-green Emerald Bay is home to one of North America's finest examples of Scandinavian architecture, Vikingsholm. Inspired by 11th-century Nordic churches and farmsteads and reminded of the fjords she had seen on her travels to Scandinavia, the widowed and divorced heiress Lora Small Moore Knight (1864-1945) commissioned Swedish architect Lennart Palme to design the 38-room estate. Palme was married to her niece, and during the summers of 1928 through 1930, he, contractor Matt Green, and 200 artisans built the fairy tale castle on Mrs. Knight's 232-acre property. They used local materials, including granite quarried from the land for the walls and foundation; the summer retreat, where the heiress entertained guests, harmonized with a forest of pine, fir, and cedar trees.

Lora Small Moore Knight

Mrs. Knight instructed Palme to design Vikingsholm without removing a single old-growth tree. Four rectangular wings enclose a hexagonal flagstone courtyard. In addition to the granite used for construction, the builders harvested timber from the property for siding. Each wing varied in composition, with the east wing designated the main house. It faces sparkling Emerald Bay and features a square three-story structure at one end and a round two-story tower at the other. The opposing west wing showcases a raised gatehouse-style breezeway with an apartment above for the caretaker and his family. Each north and south wings have gabled sod roofs. The north wing contained the kitchen, servants' dining area, and servants' quarters. The south wing held the garage and workshop.

Fannette Island and the Tea House, Photo: Nomad by Trade

The Vikingsholm property boasts Fannette Island, the only island on Lake Tahoe. Palme built the Tea House at the island's crest, a small square building with granite walls and a shale floor. Mrs. Knight and her guests enjoyed taking her boat, the Valkyrie, over for a rustic afternoon tea. In recent years, vandals destroyed the roof, windows, and door, but the stone remains an elegant ruin. The heiress died in her summer estate at the age of 83. Vikingsholm was not her only legacy; her charitable contributions included youth groups, community centers, and college scholarships, including those for each child of her fifteen servants. 

You can visit Vikingsholm and Fannette Island as they are a part of Emerald Bay State Park, or if you fancy building your own Lake Tahoe stone castle or tea house, you can contact QuarryHouse.