{"nrhp_refnum":"96001078","name":"Vikingsholm","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"10001 Emerald Bay Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"South Lake Tahoe","county":"El Dorado County","state":"CA","lat":38.95311560300007,"lon":-120.1046078652142,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-10-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Vikingsholm is a Scandinavian-style summer estate on the west shore of Emerald Bay at the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California. Built in the summers of 1928 to 1930, it is now part of Emerald Bay State Park.","why_significant":"The nomination presents Vikingsholm as an outstanding example of Scandinavian traditional architecture and woodcarving in California, drawing on Swedish, Norwegian and Welsh farmstead models. It was designed by Lennart Palme for Mrs. Lora J. Knight, who collected Scandinavian antiques and reproductions to furnish it. The house and several outbuildings survive in nearly the condition of her time there.","narrative":"Vikingsholm is a Scandinavian-inspired summer estate at the foot of Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe's southwest shore. Built in the summers of 1928 to 1930 for Mrs. Lora J. Knight, it was designed by architect Lennart Palme and built by contractor Matt Green using local granite, pine, fir and cedar. Four wings enclose a courtyard, a plan based on Swedish and Welsh farmsteads. Features include hand-adzed siding, carved dragon-head beams, sod roofs, red brick crown chimneys and Swedish stained glass. Inside, painted ceilings, hand-wrought ironwork and Mrs. Knight's collection of Scandinavian antiques remain. Palme and Knight drew ideas from travels in Sweden and Norway, including peasant farms and open-air museums. The district also includes a workshop, duplex, teahouse on Fannette Island, gardener's cottage, transformer building, stonework and early roads. California State Parks has owned the property since 1953 and opens it to visitors, who reach it by a one-mile footpath.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Architect Lennart Palme; contractor Matt Green","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Norwegian and Swedish farmstead revival, Welsh gatehouse farmstead revival, French Eclectic Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Operated as a California State Park museum and visitor site since 1953; the main house is in nearly its original condition, though moisture, pests and heavy visitor traffic cause maintenance problems and several outbuildings have been destroyed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.164026-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/96001078.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001078/1359ff6b12-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96001078/1359ff6b12-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"uzvards","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vikingsholmuno.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">uzvards</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vikingsholmuno.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858627","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikingsholm","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7929513"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/el-dorado-county/vikingsholm-96001078/"}