Visiting Tor House and Hawk Tower in Carmel, CA
Touring the Home of California Poet Robinson Jeffers
Sep 10, 2009
The poet Robinson Jeffers came to Carmel in 1914, and built a home and adjacent stone tower which is now open to the public. The home, named Tor House, is the site where the poet wrote his most significant work including the adaptation of Medea which appeared on Broadway in 1947 with Dame Judith Anderson as Medea. Today Jeffers is best known for his long narrative blank verse poems such as Tamar and his short poems like “Hurt Hawks” and “The Purse-Seine”.
Docent-Led Tours of Tor House and Hawk House
One of the best ways to experience Jeffers’ poetry is to hear it read aloud while touring the cottage and tower—Hawk Tower—which he built as a gift to his wife. Docent-led tours are offered hourly every Friday and Saturday, with the first tour beginning at 10 a.m. and the final tour at 3 p.m. Each tour is limited to a maximum of six people, and children under 12 are not allowed.
During the tour, visitors wander through the gardens, explore Tor House and climb Hawk Tower while the docent shares poignant stories of Jeffers and his family. Perhaps the most profoundly moving part of the tour is to hear Jeffers poems read aloud as one sits beside the bed in which the poet died or while standing in the living room surrounded by the Jeffers’ belongings. To hear Jeffers verse from the top of Hawk Tower as one stares at the sweep of Carmel’s coast is an experience not to be missed.
The Construction of Tor House
Tor House was so named because of the knoll, or “tor,” on which it was built. Jeffers contracted the building of the house, which was modeled after a Tudor barn, in 1918. Apprenticing himself to the builder, Jeffers learned the art of building with stone. All of the stones used in construction were taken from the rocky cove beneath the house and pulled to the building site by horses. The house was finished in 1919, and, in 1920, Jeffers began Hawk Tower.
The Construction of Hawk Tower and Additions to Tor House
Jeffers built Hawk Tower single-handedly for his wife who had a passion for all things Irish, including the Irish stone towers upon which Hawk Tower was modeled. It took the poet only four years to complete the four-storey structure using a complex block and tackle system and a series of wooden planks to place each stone.
Once Hawk Tower was complete, Jeffers continued to make additions to Tor House including a dining room, kitchen, and, eventually, a new wing complete with a ball room.
Arranging a Tour of Tor House and Hawk Tower
Tours of the house cost $7.00 for adults and are tax deductible. College and high school students pay $4 and $2 respectively. The property is administered by the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation, which is affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation is a nonprofit organization of volunteer members established in 1978 to acquire, maintain and provide for public access to Tor House, Hawk Tower and the surrounding gardens. Reservations should be made in advance via email or phone. The contact information for the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation is available on their website. Tor House is located at 26304 Ocean View Avenue in Carmel, California.
Staying in Carmel
There are many places to stay in Carmel. The Pine Inn is one good option, as it is the oldest hotel in Carmel and the site of many literary happenings including being the place where John Steinbeck met his future wife, Elaine Scott.
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