Robinson and Una Jeffers’ Tor House is headed toward National Historic Landmark status.

The Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation applied for designation as a National Historic Landmark, and received unanimous support from the National Historic Landmark Committee during a meeting on Tuesday, May 14.

Foundation President Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts gave a brief presentation on the application, which is 133 pages long and includes a “statement of significance and integrity,” as well as maps and photos. Ruchowitz-Roberts has been the president of the nonprofit since 2020, but has been associated with the place since 1996, for years volunteering as a Tor House docent.

The original cottage of Tor House was built in 1919 for the regional but nationally significant poet Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) and his wife, Una. The property, preserved with its original landscape, overlooks the Pacific. Jeffers persuaded builder Michael J. Murphy, Carmel’s preeminent home builder of the era, to train him as a laborer and Jeffers learned stonemasonry during the construction.

The Hawk Tower, built on the property by Jeffers himself, was constructed from stones hauled by hand from the beach below. For many years, Jeffers continued to divide his time between morning writing and afternoon construction and landscape work. He planted cypress trees on the property, many of which are still standing. His response to and meditations on nature in his poetry—raw, aggressive, boundless—show his hands-on preoccupation with organic matter. 

Robinson died in the Tor House cottage, and Una spent most of her final days there. The interior integrity of the cottage has been preserved, with original furniture and designs. 

The 12-member National Historic Landmark Committee expressed enthusiasm and surprise. A couple of them have visited Carmel but never heard about such a lovely refuge, they said. They had no doubt that it was a singular property that deserved attention just for its architectural and landscape components. Then, there is, naturally, cultural value—it’s a home where a great poet lived and worked; a poet that, one can say, was a pioneer of environmental literature. Additional value comes from the fact that Jeffers was a Westerner, in a time and place where there are not too many properties with deep literary traditions.

The only suggestion that came from the committee was to recognize the role of Una Jeffers and name the place “The Robinson and Una Jeffers Tor House.” It was agreed that this modification will take place.

Many committee members admired and emphasized on the portrait of Robinson Jeffers by photographer Edward Weston, Jeffers' contemporary, which connects the Jefferses with a vision of Carmel as an old bohemian colony of artists.

The board voted 12-0 to approved the nomination. Next, it will go to the National Park Service Advisory Board for consideration, likely near the end of 2024, and after that, to the Secretary of Interior for approval on the status as a National Historic Landmark.