NATIONAL TREASURES National Parks Offer the Wonders of Nature Along with Some Hidden Architectural Gems

WANDERINGS

NATIONAL TREASURES National parks offer the wonders of nature along with some hidden architectural gems

WRITTEN BY Robert Kaufman

ignited the architectural style called National Park Service Opposite page: A predominant feature of the seven-story Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone Rustic, or “parkitecture,” and was later adopted by other National Park is the gabled, cedar-shingled roof. This page, from top: The inn is named for the famous Old Faithful Geyser, which has erupted every 44 minutes to two hours since NPS lodging facilities. 2000. | The centerpiece of the towering main lobby is a massive rhyolite fireplace and a The 327-room Old Faithful Inn (typically open May hand-crafted clock made of copper, wood, and wrought iron. Photos courtesy of Xanterra through October) was constructed in three major phases: Travel Collection the 1904 original section (the “Old House”), followed by the A collection of grand structures within the national Old Faithful Inn, east wing in 1913, and the west wing in 1927. Upon entry parks pays tribute to the pioneering architects who Yellowstone National Park to the asymmetrical Old House, containing many original embraced the harmony between rustic design and first- furnishings, one’s focus immedi- class comfort. Many of these structures have been restored The National Park Service (NPS) was established in 1916 ately shifts upward to a 92-foot-high to meet modern building criteria, and adventure travelers to protect natural and cultural resources in the U.S. On gabled roof, surrounded by two who favor wilderness luxury over camping can savor the occasion, the two collide, as they did in the Upper Geyser levels of log balconies and a twisting experience of a glowing Golden Gate Bridge at dusk or a Basin of the country’s first national park, Yellowstone, stairway that leads to the “Crow’s welcoming sunrise at the rim of the Grand Canyon from founded in 1872. Nest,” a separate small landing near one of these architectural wonders. Of the park’s 500 geysers, the highly predictable Old the roof where musicians used to During the early decades of the 20th century, park accom- Faithful, which erupts every 44 minutes to two hours, is play for guests during the inn’s early modations were limited and unrefined, and to help attract within sight of architect Robert C. Reamer’s Old Faithful days. Far below, the lobby was con- tourists, railroad executives gambled by erecting extraordi- Inn. The rustic lodge was built in 1904 atop a foundation ceived in a grandiose style with the nary lodges. The resulting collaborations between nature and of rhyolite, the rock produced by Yellowstone’s volcanic intent of inspiring guests to gather architecture are on full display at select national parks and eruptions. Reamer and 40 laborers also used 500 tons of and share their daily experiences. are among some of the most exclusive resorts in the world, this native stone for the 85-foot fireplace in the main lobby, Still without WiFi, human interac- despite the fact that many don’t offer air conditioning or, per- as well as locally-grown lodgepole pine trees (bark intact) tion is very much encouraged at this haps, an internet connection. These buildings are an added to forge one of the largest log structures in the world. This National Historic Landmark. bonus when exploring one of America’s “crown jewels.” style of building, which appears to grow from the bedrock,

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Mary Colter in Ahwahnee Hotel, Grand Canyon National Park Yosemite National Park

Depending on the source, the Grand Canyon has been a One year before architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood work in progress for anywhere between 5 million and 70 stamped his imprint along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim million years. What’s not disputed is the influence of archi- with the Grand Canyon Lodge, he brought his rustic style tect Mary E.J. Colter, who designed six structures within to Yosemite National Park with the Ahwahnee Hotel in the geological wonder. 1927. Now a National Historic Landmark, this grand struc- As one of few women working in a male-dominated field ture offers proof that striking architecture can reinforce the during the early 1900s, Colter was a visionary who broke most wondrous of settings. On Duty, 15” x 24”, Smalti glass, slate with European architectural tradition by blending Mission Orchestrated by Underwood in a meadow on the east Revival, Spanish Colonial, and Native American design end of Yosemite Valley, beneath the granite cliffs of Royal styles, and relying heavily on local natural resources. That Arch, the Ahwahnee features an asymmetrical design with was Colter’s gift: seamlessly crafting buildings into their three wings boasting 97 rooms, plus numerous staggered indigenous environs. balconies and large windows to showcase the sweeping Her first Grand Canyon endeavor, the Hopi House views of Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Falls. (1905), modeled after the 10,000-year-old Pueblo dwell-

ings of the Hopi, sits adjacent to Charles Whittlesey’s cel- From top: The Ahwahnee Hotel seems small in comparison to the towering rock walls Santa Fe Missions, 20” x 16”, Smalti glass, slate ebrated El Tovar Hotel (1904) on the edge of the South Rim. surrounding it. | Inside the lobby at the Ahwahnee, visitors will find cavernous ceilings Throughout the next several decades, Colter executed plans adorned with beams, colorful stained-glass windows, Native American tapestries and baskets, Turkish kilim rugs, and Yosemite-inspired 19th-century paintings depicting the for Hermit’s Rest (1914), Lookout Studio (1914), Phantom park’s waterfalls and giant sequoia trees. Photo courtesy of Aramark Leisure Ranch (1922), Desert View Watchtower (1932), and Bright Angel Lodge (1935). With months of advanced planning, Grand Canyon visitors can stay overnight in two of Colter’s structures. Nestled between the inner canyon walls on the Colorado River’s north side, and the only lodging facility below the canyon rim, the legendary Phantom Ranch was constructed with on-site fieldstone and rough-hewn wood. If you want to be one of the fortunate 90 nightly guests staying in one of the two- or four-bedroom cabins, be prepared to either hike, ride War Horse, 39.5” x 34”, Smalti glass, slate a mule, or raft the Colorado River to get there. Colter’s other lodging masterpiece, Bright Angel Lodge, is a National Historic Landmark featuring 90 cozy lodging units and a remarkable “geological fireplace” in the History Room, with rocks arranged from ceiling to floor in the same order as the geologic strata along the Bright Angel Trail down the canyon wall. Pamela Mauseth From top: Located next to the El Tovar Hotel, Mary Colter’s Hopi House is a large, multi- Fine Art Mosaics story building of stone masonry. The multiple roofs are stepped to reference Pueblo architecture, and the tiny windows allow only the smallest amount of light into the building to limit sun exposure. | The Lookout Studio was built in a location where visitors could P: 206.619.1039 view the Grand Canyon from its precipitous edge. Colter designed the parapet rooflines E: [email protected] and stone chimneys to mimic the irregular shapes of the surrounding bedrock. | Designed by Colter and built on the edge of the Grand Canyon, the Desert View Watchtower was PamelaMausethMosaics.com patterned after structures found at Hovenweep and the Round Tower of Mesa Verde in Colorado. Photos courtesy of Xanterra Travel Collection, grandcanyonlodges.com

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In creating the 150,000-square-foot hotel, Underwood Many Glacier Hotel, During the early decades of the 20th cen- took great care in choosing materials and their treatment. Glacier National Park For instance, the 5,000 tons of stone set in the walls were tury, park accommodations were limited weathered granite, a treatment that became standard Considering Montana’s harsh winter conditions, it’s a and unrefined, and to help attract tourists, NPS practice in rustic buildings wherever masonry was wonder that it took only one year for the Great Northern railroad executives gambled by erecting used. And the exposed concrete, covering 1,000 tons Railway to construct the Swiss-style Many Glacier Hotel, of steel, was designed to imitate wood in color, form, situated in the northeastern quadrant of Glacier National extraordinary lodges. The resulting collabo- and texture. Park. And despite its quick construction, soon after rations between nature and architecture The principal significance of the Ahwahnee may lie the doors opened on July 4, 1915, architectural histo- in Underwood’s rustic architecture, but the interior, rians judged the lodge a masterpiece, as quintessen- are on full display at select national parks. with its towering ceilings, massive stone fireplaces, intri- tial an example of rustic architecture as Yellowstone’s cately hand-stenciled beams, and handmade stained-glass Old Faithful Inn, Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel, and and integrated design principles, along with reinstating some windows, was enhanced under the direction of Phyllis Yosemite’s Ahwahnee. iconic features, such as a classic double-helix staircase, once Ackerman and Arthur Urban Pope, who drew on influ- As quickly as the five-story, 140,000-square-foot hotel removed in the 1950s to make room for a gift shop, and ences from Art Deco, Middle Eastern, Native American, was crafted along the shore of Swiftcurrent Lake from the replacing the Asian-inspired light fixtures that were once and Arts and Craft styles. Daydreamers are welcome to plans of architect Thomas McMahon, it took 13 years (2004- prominent in the lobby. luxuriate in the expansive dining room as light pours in 2017) for the architectural firm Anderson Hallas to rehabili- Surrounded by scenes of nature, including our planet’s through the 25-foot-high windows. tate the 214-room hotel after it was threatened with closure endangered glaciers and pyramid-shaped Grinnell Point, the due to decades of climate-induced damage and dire interior once-heralded “Gem of the West” has returned to its rustic This page: Partially renovated in 2016, the secluded five-story Many Glacier Hotel sits conditions, including failing pipes, faulty wiring, and com- grandeur and earned its spot on the National Register of majestically at the base of Mount Grinnell on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake inside Glacier promised framing. Historic Places. National Park. Opposite page, from top: From an aerial view, Many Glacier Hotel is surrounded by the high peaks of the Lewis Range. | Architect Thomas McMahon designed This multi-phased, $40-million project entailed imple- the hotel in the early 1900s. Photos courtesy of Xanterra Travel Collection menting NPS requirements for quality control, sustainability,

108 WA A WA A 109 Clockwise from lower left: Cavallo Point Lodge’s new rooms feature sustainable WANDERINGS design with solar power, radiant heat floors, and renewable materials. | Situated on the site of a former military base, the lodge offers eye-popping views of the Golden Gate Bridge. | Cavallo Point Lodge’s 68 historic rooms and suites once served as officers’ quarters for Army personnel. The restored brick buildings feature expansive foyers and staircases, authentic tin ceilings, fireplaces, panoramic windows, and spacious front porches. Photos: Kodiak Greenwood

Maytum Stacy Architects conceived an additional 74 con- temporary rooms, incorporating radiant heat floors and renewable materials to earn LEED Gold certification. Given the quick drive to world-renowned Sonoma and Napa Valley wine country, it’s no great surprise that one of the modern amenities integrated into each room is a wine dispenser. The option to pour a glass of vino in the Cavallo Point Lodge, comfort of your room, while sitting next to the fireplace Golden Gate National Recreation Area and staring through floor-to-ceiling windows, add to this memorable visit. At the pre-WWI Army post of Fort Baker, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Cavallo Point Robert Kaufman is an internationally published writer Lodge is the archetype model for transforming a century- and award-winning photographer based in Marin County, old Army barracks into upscale resort accommodations, California; pictureparfect.com. with the sweeping vistas of the San Francisco skyline and iconic Golden Gate Bridge serving as the final flourishes. By undertaking the project, the San Francisco-based Architectural Resources Group (ARG) sustainably restored 21 structures that were built between 1901 and 1915 and were designed in the Colonial Revival style, with large, stocky symmetry and classical elements, such as columns, wrap-around porches, and decorative windows. The buildings are clustered around the main parade grounds and harbor, and nearby, there are a number of historic gun emplacements, plus trails and forested areas ascending from San Francisco Bay. When Cavallo Point Lodge opened for occupancy in July 2008, ARG had reinvigorated all 68 rooms and suites inside these historic structures, featuring expansive foyers, authentic tin ceilings, fireplaces, front porches, and panoramic windows to take advantage of the views. To accommodate more guests, San Francisco-based Leddy

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