Vikingsholm

	Vikingsholm
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
	Vikingsholm Castle, on Emerald Bay of Lake Tahoe, California.
Nearest city	South Lake Tahoe, California
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 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. It has been called "one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in North America."

History

Vikingsholm was built by Lora Josephine Knight as a summer home. The foundation was laid in 1928, and the building was constructed in 1929 by around 200 workers.^[2] Before starting construction, 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.^[3]

Harvey West, a wealthy lumberman who owned the land after Knight, sold it to California for half of the appraised value in 1953.^[2]

Vikingsholm has been called "one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in North America."^[4]

Emerald Bay State Park

Vikingsholm, along with Knight's "Tea House" on Fannette Island, is a part of Emerald Bay State Park, which has been declared a National Natural Landmark. Tours are given of the American Craftsman Vikingsholm museum home for a nominal fee.^[2]