Principal production funding for House with a History has been provided by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, through a Department of Interior grant.

Major funding was provided by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

Wells Fargo is proud to be part of the northern Nevada community for over 150 years.

Wells Fargo, The Next Stage.

Additional funding has been granted by the City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Hello.

I'm Marla Carr.

Welcome to House With a History.

In the late 1920s, George Whitell, Jr. was one of the wealthiest men in the country.

Fredrick Delongchamps was at the peak of an architectural career that would span 60 years.

One was spoiled, self-indulgent and not altogether likeable; the other was successful, self-made, an artist who put his client before his art.

Together these men would push and shove at the design process.

They would barter with concepts and creativity for months on end.

"Back to the drawing board" was an ongoing refrain for Delongchamps.

The result of this edgy alliance is the compound known as Thunderbird Lodge.. the summer cottage of George Whittell, Jr. ♪♪.

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Hi Marla.

Hi Michelle, how are you?

Great.

It's great to see you.

Oh, I'm really looking forward to this.

Well, we're excited to show you around.

elcome to the Thunderbird Lodge.

What an incredible view.

George Whittell's notion of a Lake Cottage was finally realized by building a compound.

The primary structures on the estate consist of a lodge sited on the shoreline, four cottages for staff and guests, a gate house at the entry to the estate on State Highway 28, an Elephant ouse, Lighthouse, and Boathouse.

The key buildings were constructed in 1938 for the remarkable sum of $300,000.

The Thunderbird Lodge is a magical site.

It's magical because it's situated on the Eastern Shore of Tahoe, which in itself, the landscape, the natural landscape is incredible.

The Lodge, the buildings, the architecture of the Lodge blends very well in with the natural setting.

And, that contributes to the whole magic and mystery of the site.

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The concept of the multiple building site grows out of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

It's echoed in the Great Camp architecture which originated in up-state New York.

It was there in the 1860s that wealthy industrialists began construction of camps in Adirondack Park.

The model that evolved persevered into the mid-1940s.

Great Camp architecture is defined in several ways.

One is that it actually blends in with the environment and we see that so well here.

The second is, is that you use native material such as stone, pine, which is used here, woods that are used, that were been found on the property.

And, the third element is that it contains multiple buildings that serve specific purposes.

And, such in this case here at, at the Thunderbird Lodge we have buildings such as the Card House and that is where Whittell came to play cards with his friends.

The Boathouse which was built specifically to house the Thunderbird yacht.

And, a teahouse which is out on, on the lagoon so that they could have tea.

So from here we can see the Cal-Neva.

Uh-huh.

You see that rectangular box?

Yeah.

And that's, really was one of the only markers on the landscape when Whittell was here.

And he used to bring his yacht, the Thunderbi, over to the Cal-Neva.

And the story is that he'd pick up some show girls and some high rollers and then come back and have some games in the Thunderbird Card House.

So he really needed these lighthouses to guide his way.

In 1936, after attaining more than 40,000 acres of land within the Tahoe Basin, George Whittell sought the services of an outstanding architect to realize his dream.

He found his man in Frederick DeLongchamps.

Together they fashioned the estat.

The exterior of the lodge is stone.

The roofline is attractive, dynamic.

Gabled dormers on each side of the house, massive chimneys, a projecting arched entry bay on the land side - all of these details add movement to the main roof.

The lodge appears small truly the cottage that Whittell had envisioned.

But very, very different from the log cabin that was Whittell's first concept.

The architect and the millionaire struggled through any number of potential designs - finally reaching consensus with a design that is categorized by some as Tudor Revival Style with Tahoe rustic influences while others see it as Rustic Revival inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement.

In elements of the Tudor Revival style that you see here at the Lodge are the high-pitched roof, steeply, steeply pitched roofs.

The diamond pane casement windows, which are on all of the outbuildings, but we have lost many of them.

And, the exposed truss work inside the Old Lodge and the Card House.

Um, also the arched doorways, the entrance to the Old Lodge has an arched, arched doorway.

And, then the fact that the buildings are very symmetrical.

The Old Lodge is a rectangular shape with two end-wall chimneys.

And, all of the other buildings on the estate, the cottages follow the same design as the Old Lodge.

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The interior of the lodge is comfortable, never overwhelming.

The generous use of wood - floors, walls, and ceiling -- makes the space cozy.

The Lodge is presently in the midst of a renovation, but archival photographs allow us a limited look into how it might have appeared.

The knotty pine V-grooved rustic panels have been stripped of the light colored wash applied by the previous owner, Jack Dreyfus, Jr.

The result is a warmer, more rustic look and feel.

The interior of the lodge is comfortable never overwhelming.

The generous use of wood, floors, walls and ceiling makes the space cozy.

The skylights that Dreyfus added have been removed, and the kitchen area that he installed in the lodge great room has reverted to the original wet bar.

Michelle comments that the restoration will give the site a darker feel in keeping with both the Tudor Revival look as well as the Rustic Revival.

The elements of the Tahoe Rustic at the Thunderbird Lodge include the use of the masonry, the stone for the walls and the pathways.

And, then on the interior we have metalwork that was done by an Italian metalworker, Antonio Soletti.

And, he fabricated these wonderful fireplace screens, um, fireplace sets, chandeliers, light fixtures, sconces.

And, on the outside of the buildings he created these, um, decorative artwork out of metal in scenes that reflect the natural environment.

So, you see trees and deer and squirrels.

The stair and balcony railings leading to the second floor are jig-sawn boards.

Disguised by the paneling and tucked into the corner of the stair landings, we find an elevator on one side and a safe on the other.

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It was rumored that vast amounts of money changed hands at the Card House.

Purportedly Whittell invited guests like baseball great Ty Cobb in for a hand or two of poker.

It's also been suggested that the substantial amount of cash acquired for the sale of Tahoe property was kept on hand by the wary Whittell.

After all he had survived the depression.

A safe, and substantial security were essential to the reclusive, eccentric multi-millionaire.

There are two bedrooms on the gallery level one on either end of the lodge in keeping with the symmetry of the design.

The rooms are unassuming, each with a view and a private bath.

One for the master, one for the mistress.

Initially guests would have been housed in the Guest House.

This was later converted to a residence for the married couple who acted as cook and butler.

The truth was, that the Lodge was Whittell's retreat.

He didn't really want guests.

And so he did little to provide for them.

Whittell was in his 50s when he acquired the Tahoe property.

His life had been a series of escapades, lawsuits, indulgence beyond belief, coupled with a non-existent work ethic and a propensity to play.

So much legend and fact have been intermingled that the truth can no longer be distinguished.

But we do know that George Whittell, Jr. had been handed life on a platter.

From a very early age his parents sank all of their expectations into their heir - their remaining heir, that is.

Well, after his twin brother died when the boys were about 4 years old, uh, George, of course, then became the sole heir to a massive, massive fortune.

And, he was indulged by his pents, George Whittell, Sr., and Anna Luning Whittell.

And, pretty much allowed to do whatever, whatever he pleased.

As a teenager, when other, the sons of other aristocratic families in San Francisco were planning their college careers, George Whittell shocked his family by announcing that he was going to spend some time with the Barnum and Bailey Circus.

His foray into the big top gave Whittell a lifelong love of animals.

One might speculate that his closest friend was Bill, a majestic African lion that accompanied Whittell to the most unlikely of places.

Whittell could count on his animals, they were predictable, loyal in his experience, these were not traits of humankind.

Only rarely did he become close to people, but when he did he was thought to be generous and a bit of a practical joker.

George and Anna Whittell expected that when the time came for George Jr. to wed, his marriage would be a financial merger.

George Whittell, Sr., and Anna Whittell, his, his parents had other ideas for marriage, uh, partners.

And, while they were busy arraigning, uh, alliances with young aristocratic women from the San Francisco Bay area, George was partying with chorus girls.

And, he, in 1903, married Frances Boyer, a chorus girl.

That marriage quickly dissolved when his father had it annulled and tried to pay the bride to vanish from the picture.

Uh, the following year he married Josie Cunningham.

She was a dancer from the Flora Dora Sextet.

And, again, an unsuitable match.

His parents were horrified, and they quickly became experts at damage control with their young, brash, reckless son who now was establishing a, a lifelong pattern of eccentric behavior.

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He met his third andinal wife, Elia Pascal, when he served in the U.S. Army in France during WW I.

Not precisely what his parents had in mind, she was nevertheless more acceptable than his previous partners.

She was sophisticated, chic, stunning, elegant.

So Whittell returned from the war with a bride, and the title of Captain, the moniker which he would prefer for the remainder of his life.

In 1935 the Captain had purchased 40,000 acres of land - including 27 miles of lakefront property - roughly 1/3 of the Tahoe Basin.

George Whittell bought the Nevada side of the Lake when it was almost entirely undeveloped.

So, he acquired a massive amount of some of the best real estate in the West.

Beautiful wilderness.

And, although he thought about developing it for a casino/hotel at Sand Harbor and for various things, all he ended up really doing is building this estate which he began designing in 1936.

The Captain's initial priority was to create a personal refuge.

And he chose Nevada's foremost architect to build it.

Thus Frederick Delongchamps was brought on board.

What happened with his encounter with Whittell is really remarkable in the extensive, um, 60-some year history of, of DeLongchamps career.

If you look at the plans that are preserved at the Special Collections Library at UNR, you see a, a tortured relationship between Whittell and DeLongchamps.

DeLongchamps, the architect who could give the client exactly what he wanted, found himself being rejected over and over again by Whittell, who was fussy, who said, "No, that's not what I want.

You read it wrong. "

Or maybe even changed his mind.

One can imagine George Whittell saying I think I want a mountain log cabin, which was the fit design.

Delongchamps gives him that and then Whittell says, no.

Maybe it didn't happen that way.

We don't have insight into exactly what happened except that we know that plan after plan was rejected, because they are preserved, all the rejects.

And so Delongchamps was undoubtedly frustrated.

It took 2 years of negotiations back and forth to arrive at the design that you finally have today.

So in many ways, unlike so many of the other comissions that Delongchamps executed, this was really collaborative.

And it is half Whittell and half Delongchamps.

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The lower level of the Lodge has remained intact.

It contains servants' bedrooms and baths, a kitchen, and a laundry room.

Amidst the antique washing machine, the ceramic sink and the boxes of powdered soap is an obscure looking door.

If one were to step through it, they would enter the tunnel.

One of the great things that people are always stunned about in this complex is this fantastic tunnel.

And, it draws you in.

Often you find it's very cold there, even in summer.

But, it nevertheless draws you in.

Nearly six hundred feet of underground tunnels up to three stories below ground, below water level.

And, that tunnel is really exquisite in its execution.

The Card House can be reached by this route, but we'll take the above ground path.

Oh, look at that.

Beautiful.

I think my favorite element of this site is the actual designed landscape and the pathways, the series of pathways here that take you from one building to another.

And, it's interesting that I say that, as a preservationist, as somebody who loves, is very passionate about historic buildings, but the designed landscape here is incredible.

And, I haven't seen anything like it outside of Europe.

And, it's so special.

The way it was designed, the buildings are very symmetrical, the landscape is very organic.

It moves, it bends, it twists.

It goes up, it goes down.

And, it takes you along the water's edge and it is such an amazing experience when you're walking along the landscape.

You're enjoying being a part of nature.

You're basically a part of the site.

There are really extraordinary views of the Lake from here.

And, George Whittell was a naturalist.

His estate was given to, uh, Animal Welfare.

He was clearly more interested in nature than he was in humanity.

And, I think this is in many ways a setting to experience nature rather than architecture, which is ironic because it's such a beautiful piece of architecture.

But, the, the, not just the pathways around here, but the waterways which were originally intended to surround this castle with water.

Uh, several of the lakeside ponds have been filled in with grass over them.

But, originally water went all the way around the Lodge.

And, so it was really embraced by nature.

And, then you have these beautiful vistas out of these windows that just capture the Lake and the mountains around here to their full glory.

And, I think that's what you're drawn to immediately.

So, you come to the piece of architecture to experience nature.

And, it's that, that odd tension between the, the wilderness, uh, that's represented by this beautiful prtine part of the Lake and the beautiful expression of architecture side by side.

Very unusual.

Very interesting.

This is the infamous Thunderbird Card House.

Oh it's got so much character.

I love the textures of the wood and the stone.

And you notice how it's very symmetrical, similar to the old lodge.

The Card House is a one-story masonry building.

In keeping with the rest of the compound, it has a steeply pitched gable roof.

A slightly projecting gabled entry bay at the center of the front façade is reached by symmetrical, curved side stairs sheltered by a low stone wall.

Fireplaces anchor the ends of a long room with an incredibly pitched roofline.

The space is textured by the exposed stone walls and exposed roof trusses with carved wood beams.

The floor is slab concrete with alagstone surface.

Decorative ironwork mimics that found in the lodge -- creative, timeless pieces to accentuate the stone, the architectural design, and the site.

Sadly, due to Whittell's idiosyncratic wishes, only Antonio Soletti himself -none of his talented crew -- was allowed on the grounds.

They never saw the estate, or the effect of their creativity.

So I hear there is an interesting bathroom in this place.

There is.

And what's fascinating about it, is there's a secret door off of the shower.

If he was losing at cards, he would excuse himself, go into the bathroom and then never come back.

Oh, this I've got to see.

Alright.

The bathroom has a shower with a heavy, black iron door.

This leads to a steep spiral staircase.

Descend it, and one enters the tunnel.

Turn to the right to reach the lodge, and the left to gain access to the boat house where the magnificent Thunderbird yacht waited on the Captain's whim.

Along the way one could pass the lion's cage where the Machiavellian Whittell is said to have incarcerated intoxicated friends.

When they came to, they would find themselves sharing a cell with Bill, the Captain's companionable but formidable lion.

Many were not amused.

The Card House seems modest given the yarns that have been birthed within its stone walls, tales of showgirls, enormous wagers and rowdy parties.

One such story has this as the meeting place of two of the most eccentric and solitary of millionaires.

Was Howard Hughes really one of Whittell's card-playing cronies?

There's no evidence that Howard Hughes was here or, as far as I know, even met George Whittell.

It's possible they did.

George Whittell was kind of a prototype for Howard Hughes, 20 years or so older than Howard Hughes, but liking fast cars and fast planes and fast women.

And, being incredibly wealthy and interested in film.

All those things were very "Hughes-esque".

And, I think the folk just couldn't help but link the two.

The construction of Thunderbird Lodge is a work of cultural diversity.

The Italian Ironworker, Soletti contributed the artistry of the metalwork.

Native American stonemasons trained at Carson City's Stewart Indian School in Nevada created the patchwork of stone in the house, the walk, the walls.

An oft-told tale has Whittell - after a late night of drinking and playing cards - placing a whiskey bottle on the grounds prior to retiring.

Workers were to complete the building of paths and waterways to that point and no further.

Once there, they would wrap up the day's work with a toast to the Captain.

Norwegian artisans created the vaulted ceilings and the balconies, giving them a Scandinavian look.

And finally, it's believed that Cornish miners, languishing in Virginia City after the collapse of the mining industry, were recruited to excavate the tunnel.

Whittell's life was legendary or notorious, depending on your point of view.

His desolate youth provided the fodder for escapades, real or imagined, throughout his life.

He was a recluse, so unable to substantiate the reality of his life, shards of many truths and much fiction were pieced together to make the stuff of legend.

And the captain nourished the myth, fed the folklore and thrived on the fiction that tabloid's touted.

Whittell did in 1969 at age 87.

He had stepped from one century into the next embracing the new technology, flaunting Victorian morality and never working a day in his life.

The Whittell Lodge and this entire complex speak to a wonderful period of history.

And, to George Whittell's legacy, which is as much this building as it is the wonderful pristine quality of the Nevada side of the Lake.

We can thank George Whittell for that.

It may not have been really what he was after initially, but he did give that to posterity.

We need to preserve this place because it is such a great piece of architecture and a wonderful expression of that historical period when Tahoe could have become extraordinarily overdeveloped, but at least we were able to preserve the Nevada side as we, as it is today.

One member of Whittell's Thunderbird Lodge menagerie was a small elephant named Mingo.

As was appropriate, Mingo resided in the elephant house.

But her tenure was relatively brief.

The Sierra Nevada climate wasn't conducive to raising pachyderms.

Too cold, too dry.

I'm extremely fond of elephants.

So I was distressed to hear that the private plane flying Mingo back to California had crashed in Lake Tahoe.

Fortunately, Mingo and the pilot were able to swim ashore.

Thank heavens.

Aaaaa .. Not true.

This was simply a bit of the extensive folklore that still surfaces when Whittell's name is mentioned.

Mingo did exist...There was a plane crash.

However, the elephant wasn't on board.

But I'm certain that, had the Captain heard this story, he would have been delighted.

If you would like to know more about Thunderbird Lodge, or any of the houses in our series, go to our website.. knpb.org.

Until next time, preserve the architecture and enjoy the heritage of your community.

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Principal production funding for House with a History has been provided by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, through a Department of Interior grant.

Major funding was provided by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

Wells Fargo is proud to be part of the northern Nevada community for over 150 years.

Wells Fargo, The Next Stage.

Additional funding has been granted by the City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission.