Jeffers, Robinson, House
Also known as: Tor House
Why it's listed
Tor House is a group of granite buildings on a low knoll above Carmel Bay, on Carmel Point near the town of Carmel, California. Constructed between 1919 and 1962, it was built mostly from stone gathered on nearby beaches, and poet Robinson Jeffers laid much of the masonry with his own hands. A tower of granite boulders, almost forty feet high, connects to the house by courtyard walls. Its upper room, once the study of his wife Una, has Gothic windows and mahogany panelling. Hundreds of stones and fragments from famous places around the world, including Pompeii, Babylon, Angkor and the Great Wall of China, are set into the walls. The property matters because Jeffers, regarded as one of the great American poets of his time, lived here for forty-three years, died here, and wrote almost all of his mature work in the house. Work he did not do himself was done under his supervision or according to his plans.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is more closely tied to the work and career of Robinson Jeffers, regarded as one of the great American poets of his time, than most literary shrines are to their writers. He lived there for forty-three years, died there, and wrote nearly all of his mature work in the house. He also built much of the masonry himself.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 75000444, listed October 10, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 26304 Ocean View Ave., Carmel |
|---|---|
| County | Monterey County |
| Listed | October 10, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000444 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Robinson Jeffers |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied private residence in excellent-to-good use; the form's data sheet gives the function as residence both then and now, though the condition boxes are not clearly readable. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.54211, -121.93460 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 75000444.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14684152
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.