![]() ![]() Getting there is another testament to Whittell’s eccentricities. Whittell also loved speedboats, and the 100-foot boathouse he built at Thunderbird is still the largest on Lake Tahoe. (Everyone on our tour broke out in giggles, wondering what his Tahoe neighbors and resort dwellers must have thought.) ![]() His African lion, Bill, accompanied the millionaire on drives in his Murphy convertible roadster. He used his substantial allowance from his parents to stage trips to Africa to capture animals for the circus and later, to reside with him at Thunderbird. Instead of heading off to college on schedule, as his Nob Hill parents wished, Whittell ran away and joined the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Whittell had a serious love of wild animals - he liked them more than people, the tour docents joke - and spared no expense for their care.įor more travel coverage from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond He was a highly eccentric one, with wealth equivalent to $49 billion today.ĭuring our 75-minute walking tour of this National Historic Site, we marvel at a few stunning elements designed by prominent Nevada architect Frederic DeLongchamps: the main house’s beautiful stone masonry and the lavish card house where Whittell frequently hosted friend and fellow recluse, Howard Hughes.īut it’s the large, garage-like stone building with decorative sconces that takes our breath away, especially when we realize who lived inside: Whittell’s elephant, Mingo. And Whittell, who summered here until his death in 1969, wasn’t just any wealthy San Franciscan. We’re perched above a sandy beach on the tip of Lake Tahoe’s east shore, touring the fairytale-like estate of the late George Whittell, Jr., the reclusive millionaire who began building this six-acre property in 1936.Ī crisp breeze ripples across the water and gently rustles the surrounding conifer trees, as realization sets in: The Thunderbird Lodge isn’t just any historic property. ![]()
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