Jack London's Ranch AlbumWolf House was not a castle in any sense of the term, though Jack and others referred to it as that. It was big, unpretentious, open, natural, and inviting, just like its builder. It was designed as a busy author's workshop, and as a home big enough for the many needs of the Londons, and for the entertainment of their friends.
Jack's workshop was to be 19 by 40 feet with a library of the same size directly under it on the second floor, connected by a spiral staircase. Here he would have room to work and house his huge library. At the time his books were stored inaccessibly in every building on the ranch. The work area was completely secluded from the rest of the house. High on the fourth floor and directly above Charmian's apartment Jack's sleeping quarters perched like an eagle's nest.
The 18 by 58 foot living room was two stories high with rough redwood balconies extending three-fourths of the way around. A huge stone fireplace and open ceiling rafters made a cozy nook of the huge room. One large alcove in the room was designed for Charmian's beautiful Steinway grand.
A Pictorial Biography of Jack London by Russ Kingman
An early rendering of Wolf House by San Francisco
architect Albert Farr showing how it would look when finished. Wolf house consisted of four levels, with the upper two floors mostly for the use of Jack and Charmian, and the main floor and basement for the use of their many expected guests.
"I am ... only just now beginning my first feeble attempts at building a house for myself. That is to say, I am chopping down some redwood trees and leaving them in the woods to season against such a time, two or three years hence, when they will be used in building the house."
| Jack London |
| Feb. 3, 1911 |
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London Trivia:
Jack London's best friend and poet George Sterling, dubbed the London's dream home - Wolf House. |
