These photographs were taken at Jack London State Historic Park in 2004. Both The House of Happy Walls and Wolf House
were designed by San Francisco Albert Farr.
Charmian London worked closely with Farr in the creation of Happy Walls. As she explained to her friend Anna Strunsky
Walling, it was to be a unique expression of her personality, "me, Charmian!" The house construction began in 1918
but was not completed until the 1920s. Charmian preferred to live in the old farm cottage she had shared with Jack,
and did not move until 1935, when the cottage was used for paying dude ranch guests. Today it is a museum; Charmian
intended this would be its ultimate purpose.
Wolf House's architecture was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Its construction materials were redwood and volcanic rocks found on the ranch. The interior would be rustic and lodgelike. Accordingly, London made sure all the latest technology, such as a vaccuum system, was incorporated, so that the house staff would be able to work efficiently. The Londons called it the "Big House," but friends changed the name.
In 1913, days before it was to be inhabited, the
house burned down. A 1995 study by a
multi-disciplinary team of scientists concluded that the most likely cause was spontaneous combustion of oil-soaked
rags left in the dining room area.
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House of Happy Walls
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Wolf House Ruins
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