Tor House and Hawk Tower

In the fall of 1914, Robinson Jeffers and his wife, Una, gave up their plans to move to England because of the likelihood of war in Europe. A friend of Jeffers, Fred Clapp, recommended the small coastal village of Carmel to the young couple. When Jeffers moved to Carmel, his only published poetry collection was Flagons and Apples, self-published by Jeffers in 1912. Jeffers's successful career as a poet began in Carmel. He would write all his major poetry works while living at Tor House. Una wrote about the site in an article in The Carmel Pine Cone in January, 1941, "In 1919 we built Tor House on a knoll where stones jutting out of the treeless moor reminded us of tors on Dartmoor." The family would live in the small house built of stone until 1999. == Tor House ==

Construction In May 1919, Jeffers contracted Mike Murphy, an established Carmel developer, to build the couple a stone cottage on their new home site. The design for the house was inspired by an old Tudor barn that Una had seen during a trip to England. The new home included a living room, a small guest bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and sleeping places for the family in the loft. The house had running water, but no electricity until 1949. Jefferson planted 2000 trees on the property. Soon after the cottage was complete, Jeffers himself would begin building a detached garage and a low, enclosing wall for a courtyard. He completed these in 1920, and then began to work on a stone tower. After ceasing his stonework for a year or two, he then began work on a dining room with a fireplace used for cooking that would be completed in 1930. In 1937, Jeffers began work on an annex for his sons, who were both in their 20s by then. He was unable to finish this last project due to declining health. Donnan completed the building in 1958 and moved his family into their new residence. == Hawk Tower ==

After completing a stone garage and wall on his own, Jeffers started work on a tower in 1920 that would take him four years to complete in late 1924. The inspiration for Hawk Tower was Una's fascination with the ruined round towers of Ireland. Jeffers built the house with large boulders he dragged from the beach, some weighing 400 pounds. He would mix the mortar and place the stones himself. The finished tower was 40 feet high. It consisted of a "dungeon", a main room on the ground floor which was used as a dedicated writing space, a third-floor open battlement and fourth floor open turret. ==Tor House Foundation==

When the Jeffers' first arrived, Carmel was a tiny village with one unpaved street. It would later become an important center for art and culture. ==References==