Friday, March 31, 2017

The former home of the “Mistress of Vikingsholm” in Reno

Lora Knights winter home in Reno's historic Powning Addition
Lora Knights winter home in Reno, designed by Frederic DeLongchamps
You certainly have seen the house on your stroll alongside the Truckee river or on your way to the Hub Coffee Roasters: it was once the home of Lora Josephine Knight, known as the Mistress of Vikingsholm. The house at 615 Jones Street is said to have served as her winter home, when Vikingsholm, her Scandinavian Dream home, at Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay was snow-buried.

Although not a landmark like Vikingsholm, Lora's house at the junction of Jones Street with Riverside Drive has its place in Reno's history [1]:

Lora's Reno “winter home” as she called it,the Frederic DeLongchamps-designed house at 615 Jones Street, also served as stopping-off place for her friends on their way to and from Vikingsholm. Located in Reno's historic Powning Addition, the structure is currently occupied by R&R Partners, an advertising and public relations firm, and is a feature of the annual Reno Harvest of Homes tour conducted by the Historic Reno Preservation Society.

Lora Knight also owned a winter home in Santa Barbara [2]. I am not sure if there was a time overlap, during which she had two winter homes. But one may be right to assume that her “little Reno house” was not only a stopping-off place for her friends, but for herself as well: a short stay to continue to Emerald Bay.

References and more to explore
[1] Philip I. Earl: Lora Josephine Knight: Mistress of Vikingsholm. Nevada in the West, Fall & Winter, 2016; pp. 10-12.
[2] Vikingsholm: Tahoe's Hidden Castle [vikingsholm.com/].

No comments:

Post a Comment