PREFACE PREFACE This Historic Structures Report was completed in accordance with examples of recreational development during the Forest Service the University of Oregon, Historic Preservation Masters program administration. The primary house refl ects the craftsman archi- and Terminal Project requirements. This report was also written tectural period and is the only remaining historic recreational resi- with the intention of assisting Olympic National Park in its stew- dence of this period and style owned by Olympic National Park. ardship of the presented historic buildings. The Wendel property was listed on the National Register of His- toric Places in 2005. An Historic Structures Report is a planning guide. The purpose of a Historic Structure Report to develop an assimilation of historic context and existing conditions of a building(s) to form the basis of recommendations on the care and conservation of the historic resource. The subject of the report is two structures located within Olympic National Park on the North shore of Lake Crescent, near the head of the Lyre River. The Wendel House and associated boathouse were built in 1936. The two structures are signifi cant Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES INTRODUCTION STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ADMINISTRATIVE DATA GEOGRAPHIC/NATURAL SETTING CHAPTER I: Historic Background Recreational Development The Olympics Before the Forest Reserve Olympic Forest Reserve 1893-1905 Recreational Development in the Olympics Before the National Forest National Forest Recreational Development: A National Movement The Effect of Road Development Around Lake Crescent Summer Homes on Lake Crescent Olympic National Park: Cultural Resource Management Social History Gate’s Subdivision The Wendels CHAPTER II: Condition Assessment/Recommendations Introduction Site Wendel House Exterior Structure Mechanical Systems Room-by Room Descriptions and Floor Plans Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Wendel Boathouse Exterior Structure Mechanical Systems Interior, Dock CHAPTER III: Preservation Objectives Preferred Treatment Site: Elements to Preserve Immediate Stabilization New Developments Buildings: Elements to Preserve Immediate Stabilization New Developments CHAPTER IV: Proposed Uses APPENDICES BIBLIOGRAPHY Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page iv LIST OF FIGURES Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION This Historic Structures Report (HSR) documents the Wendel In 2005 the Wendel property was included in the Multiple Proper- house and boathouse located within the Olympic National Park ty Nomination for Olympic National Park and now both the hose (OLYM) on the north shore of Lake Crescent. These two structure and boathouse are listed on the NRHP. Determined signifi cant have been vacant for nearly a decade, as a result, vandalism and under criterion A for its association with entertainment and rec- theft have occurred as well as neglect of important maintenance reation activities of the early Forest Service, and, criterion C as leaving both structures in need of signifi cant restorative treatment. an excellent intact example of the Bungalow/Craftsman style of architecture. Popular during the fi rst few decades of the 20th cen- The Wendel property and structures were surveyed in 1982 at part tury the Bungalow/Craftsman style was used extensively in early of a park wide cultural resource inventory. The survey noted that Forest Service and recreational buildings. the most distinctive characteristic of the property was its apparent unaltered condition. While the condition of the buildings has de- The treatment recommendations are based on a condition assess- teriorated since the early 80’s, the building still retains the major- ment conducted during summer and fall of 2010 and winter of ity of its historic character and architectural elements. 2011. These recommendations comply with the National Park Service guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Recreational development around Lake Crescent had caught on in the 1890’s and was rapidly growing by 1910. Land was be- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places for “its as- sociation with the theme of Entertainment/recreation and tour- ing purchased and subdivided into small private lots specifi cally ism at the park, an important part of the park’s human history (criterion A). It is also an excellent example of the Bungalow/ intended for recreational use. Dozens of resorts and campgrounds Craftsman style of architecture (criterion C)..... It has integrity of location, setting, design, workmanship, materials, feeling, and also lined the shores of the Lake Crescent. The area was a ful- association.”(NRHP, 2005, Section Number 8 and 9, p2.) crum for retreat, a sapphire lake amidst steep emerald mountains carved by glaciers leaving breathtaking views and inspiring an The Wendel property is signifi cant for its representation of recre- overwhelming sense of serenity, outdoor activities and adventure ational housing on the Olympic Peninsula during Forest Service was endless. It is no wonder large numbers of people fl ocked to administration. Located on the north shore, the Wendel property is the Olympics, business opportunities in recreation would by no situated on some of the earliest settled land on the Lake. Built in doubt be lucrative and individuals interested in camping, fi shing, 1936 the two structures are excellent examples of the Bungalow/ hunting or hiking were welcomed with a bounty of possibilities. Craftsman type of architecture that was exceedingly popular in the area and across the nation in the early 1900’s. The architectural The Wendel house and boathouse are now the only structures re- characteristics and layout are remarkably intact and have for the maining from this early recreational period that have not been most part been unaltered in any signifi cant way. drastically altered or destroyed. Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page ADMINISTRATIVE DATA Preferred Structure Name: The Wendel House The Wendel Boathouse Structure Number: 1260 - house 1241 - boathouse Park: Olympic National Park Structure County: Clallam Region: Northwest Region Deed No. 246 Legal Description: Lot 03-106 Facility Maintenance System Software (FMSS) Location: 1111111 National Register of Historic Places: Listed, 2005 Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page GEOGRAPHIC/NATURAL SETTING Figure 1. State of Washington map. (maplibrary.emporia.edu) Figure 2. Map of Olympic National Park on the Olympic Penin- sula. Red star indicate where Lake Crescent and the project site are located (map courtesy of Olympic National Park, 2011) Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page GEOGRAPHIC/NATURAL SETTING GEOGRAPHIC SETTING Washington states Olympic Peninsula is located at the farthest ervation land primarily along the west side of the peninsula northwest corner of the conterminous United States. The pen- insula also receives more rain and snow than any other place in Lake Crescent is located in the northern most section of the Olym- the conterminous states. West coast precipitation levels average pic National Park just fi ve miles from the Strait of Juan De Fuca, around 140 inches per year, and in the high mountains the average and 15 miles west of Port Angeles. Appropriately named for the can reach up to 200 inches per year. However, on the northeast shape of the body of water, Lake Crescent is ten miles long and side of the peninsula in the protection of the rain shadow rainfall ranges from one to three miles wide. The lake is 600 feet above averages decrease drastically to fewer than 20 inches per year. sea level and also approximately 600 feet deep.1 It is determined to have the cleanest water in the state of Washington. The clarity Much of the Olympic Peninsula is a relatively secluded wilder- of the lake can be deceiving as it is possible to see 40 feet below ness of rugged mountains still occupied by glaciers, and blanketed the waters surface. with dense old-growth forests, deep valleys, rivers, lakes, prairies and abundant wildlife. The boundaries of Olympic National Park The steep valley in which Lake Crescent resides was formed by encompass nearly one million acres of the peninsula’s interior and a lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet which covered and surrounded long sections of its coastline. Much of the National Park is sur- much of the Olympic Mountain range during the last great Ice rounded by Forest Service land, and some Native American Res Age. The perimeter of the lake is surrounded by steep mountains 1. Olympic Administrative History, p. 2 Wendel House - Historic Structure Report Olympic National Park Page GEOGRAPHIC/NATURAL SETTING covered with predominately coniferous forest. Mt. Storm King House exemplifi es a specifi c period during extensive cultural de- rises 4,500 feet to the southeast and Pyramid Mountain rises 3,000 velopment on Lake Crescent. feet just opposite the lake from Mt. Storm King. Lake Crescent was at one time longer than it now is stretching a NATURAL SETTLING few more miles to the east. The lake waters also exited to the east Much of the land around the Lake Crescent outlet is covered with via Indian Creek. A landslide north of Mt. Storm King fell into the mixed lowland, temperate forests consisting of cedar, alder, fi r, body of water splitting the one lake into two. With nowhere for and hemlock. Most of the trees and many of the shrubs and ground the majority of Lake Crescent’s water to exit, it eventually over- cover plants are evergreen. The climate is so conducive to rapid fl owed to the north and out to the strait creating what is now the vegetative growth that any denuded ground can be totally covered Lyre River.2 within a year and support lush growth in three to four years. Veg- etation grows quickly and in abundance.