National Park Service Rustic is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide visitor facilities without visually interrupting the natural or historic scene. The structures are characterized by intensive use of hand labor and rejection of the regularity and symmetry of the industrial world, reflecting its connections with the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of these buildings are listed as National Historic Landmarks. The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... Artichoke wallpaper, by John Henry Dearle for William Morris & Co. ... The USS Arizona Memorial. ...

Development 1872 - 1916

The first national parks were a response to the romanticism that restructured the American concept of wilderness in the nineteenth century. As seen in the artistry of John James Audubon, James Fenimore Cooper, Thomas Cole, George Catlin, William Cullen Bryant and others, the idea of wilderness developed during the course of the nineteenth century from an entity to be feared and conquered into a resource that should be preserved and treasured. The early wilderness preservation philosophies--expressed through painting, poetry, essays, and later photography--helped lay the foundations for the acceptance of the first national parks. Beginning with Yosemite in 1866 and Yellowstone in 1872, public lands were set aside as parks. Early administration of these reserves was haphazard. Yosemite fell prey to a politicized board of state commissions, while Yellowstone was given an unpaid superintendent and no appropriations. John James Audubon John James Audubon[1] (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was a Franco-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. ... Cooper portrait by John Wesley Jarvis, 1822 James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. ... George Catlin (1796 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – December 23, 1872 in Jersey City, New Jersey) was an American painter who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. ... William Cullen Bryant William Cullen Bryant (November 3, 1794 - June 12, 1878) was an American Romantic poet and journalist. ... Yosemite National Park (pron. ... Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. ...

In 1883, because of extensive poaching and political scandal, the Army was authorized to protect Yellowstone although it was not called upon by the Secretary of the Interior to do so until 1886. The Army stayed in Yellowstone in an administrative capacity until 1916. After 1890, the Army also was called on to protect Sequoia, the General Grant tree, and Yosemite. In each of the Army parks, the War Department was compelled to erect basic facilities for its own use. Fort Yellowstone, Wyoming, was the most important of these complexes. The army buildings there were constructed to standard Army specifications. The Army had no direct interest in the landscape, and this was echoed in their architecture. The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior, concerned with such matters as national parks and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Binomial name Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. ... General Grant tree from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks The General Grant tree is the largest Giant Sequoia in the Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park. ... An undated historical photo of Fort Yellowstone. ...

In those early parks where the Interior Department retained administrative responsibility (including Crater Lake, Mount Rainier and Glacier), government buildings usually were limited to primitive, vernacular expressions of facility need. Crude frame shacks, log cabins, or tent frames usually sufficed. These early government facilities could be simple because responsibility for housing and transporting the park visitor was delegated to the park concessioners. View from the rim The Old Man of the Lake (with extreme clarity of water apparent) Crater Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Oregon that is 5 by 6 miles (8 by 9. ... Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. ... A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity and undergoes internal deformation. ...

The early park concessioners received little supervision. Their structures were typical make-shift frontier efforts. Not until after the completion of the northern transcontinental railroads in the 1890s, did more advanced concessioner facilities appear in Yellowstone, for example. Among the first of these was the Lake Hotel, constructed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1890. The formal classicism of this structure, with its ionic columns, three projecting porticos and symmetrical façade, made it clear that the building owed nothing to its setting. Northern Pacific Railway Categories: Stub | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Idaho railroads | Minnesota railroads | Montana railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads ... From ancient Greece (Ionic) An Ionian is a member of one of the four great divisions of the ancient Greek people. ... Categories: Architectural elements | Stub ...

The railroads brought the first major developments to the parks. At the same time, as a part of this process, they also introduced their architectural and engineering expertise. The railroads' search for architectural styles suitable for park settings occurred at a time when landscape architecture was beginning to exert major influence on architectural design and theory. In 1842, landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing had publicized his ideas on "picturesque" landscape and the importance of nature in architectural design in his widely- distributed book Cottage Residences. Several decades later, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., a friend and pupil of Downing, working in conjunction with architects such as H. H. Richardson, strengthened the connections between architecture and landscape architecture. Building forms responded to their sites, landscaping becoming an integral part of the design. While buildings generally were constructed of natural materials such as native stone, timbers, and shingles, few were intentionally "rustic." Early "rustic" examples were usually "follies"--gazebos and small pavilions. Larger buildings intentionally rustic in style appeared in the Adirondack Mountains in the 1870s. This influence began to appear in park architecture after 1900. Central Park, like all parks, is an example of landscape architecture. ... Andrew Jackson Downing (born October 31, 1815 - died July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer and writer from Newburgh, New York and the editor and publisher of The Horticulturist magazine. ... Frederick Law Olmsted, oil painting by John Singer Sargent, 1895, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina Daniel France (September, 1988 was a United States landscape architect, famous for designing many well-known urban parks, including Central Park and Prospect Park in New York City, the countrys oldest coordinated system of...

Yosemite

Exterior of the LeConte Memorial Lodge

In 1903, the Sierra Club erected LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley. Designed to serve as the Club's summer headquarters, it contained a library and a club information center. Weathered native granite dominated the symmetrical Tudor Revival building, which bore the strong imprint of its architect, Bernard Maybeck, in an exaggerated roofline which comprised more than half of the height of the structure, a huge granite fireplace, and its rough-finish exposed roof beams. The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... Exterior of the LeConte Memorial Lodge. ... Yosemite National Park (pron. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Kings College Chapel outside view The Tudor style in English architecture is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond, for conservative college patrons. ... Bernard Ralph Maybeck (February 7, 1862 - October 3, 1957) was a prominent architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th Century. ...

The Ahwahnee Hotel in December

The Yosemite Valley Railroad had constructed a depot in 1910 at El Portal near the park boundary, and a stage depot in Yosemite Valley. Although the railroad's operations were on a much smaller scale than those at the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, its buildings were significant expressions of local park architecture. Both structures were built in a rustic Stick Style reminiscent of nineteenth century Adirondack camp architecture. The wood frame buildings were covered with panels of decorative boughs. The diagonal brackets of the depot were small logs, complete with protruding knots. The Yosemite Valley Stage Depot, which also served as a telegraph office, had a steeply gabled roof, which comprised more than half the height of the building, and diamond-shaped window panes. Both structures were representative of a local movement of "rustic" architecture that developed in Yosemite after 1900. Several buildings at nearby Camp Curry shared the style. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 921 KB)[edit] Summary Picture of the Ahwahnee Hotel. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 921 KB)[edit] Summary Picture of the Ahwahnee Hotel. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... El Portal is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. The village name is derived from the Spanish phrase for the gate, after two wooden gates that once stood as a gateway to the village. ... Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the distance. ... Adirondack may mean: Adirondack Mountains (United States) (also known as the Adirondacks) Adirondack (Amtrak), an Amtrak passenger rail route connecting New York City and Montreal Adirondack (hut), a type of three-walled semi-cabin, with open fronts, found at some developed campsites Adirondack (house), an American style of house construction... The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts, showing four gables in this view. ...

Glacier Point received a new hotel in 1917. Erected by the Desmond Park Company, the two and three story, shingle-covered structure had a distinctly Swiss chalet design emphasis. The steeply pitched roofs, numerous roof gables and intricate balconies added detail to this alpine structure. Although situated so that it had a magnificent view of the Yosemite high country, the hotel was sufficiently removed from Glacier Point proper to reduce its visual impact. Glacier Point, as seen from Yosemite Valley. ... Chalet A chalet (pronounced ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building in the Alpine region made of wood. ... The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts, showing four gables in this view. ...

Parsons Memorial Lodge was constructed by the Sierra Club in 1915 at Tuolumne Meadows. Parsons Lodge was a wide building of low profile, whose walls appeared to be granite dry stone masonry. Actually, the architect had experimented with a new construction technique so that the battered stone walls had concrete cores. This philosophy of using new building methods in visual imitation of pioneer building techniques matured in the 1920s in structures like Yosemite's Ahwahnee Hotel. A contemporary architect stated: "The building seems to grow out of the ground naturally and to belong there just as much as the neighboring trees and rocks." The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known conservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... It has been suggested that Rock fence be merged into this article or section. ... Concrete being poured, raked and vibrated into place in residential construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... The Ahwahnee as seen from Glacier Point in Yosemite. ...

Yellowstone

Old Faithful Inn (larger version)

At Yellowstone National Park in 1903, the Northern Pacific Railroad constructed the Old Faithful Inn. This six-story resort was in the Swiss Chalet-Norway Villa tradition, but executed in a very western frontier manner. The exterior of the log frame structure was sheathed with shingles, and the building was heavily articulated with logwork piers and corners. Two stories of projecting dormers protruded from the enormous main gable, which was the dominant architectural feature. The combination of the logwork, shingles, and form resulted in a masterful structure. The Inn was designed by Robert Reamer, who is said to have "sketched the plans while coming shakily out of a monumental submersion in malt, and some authorities claim to be able to read that fact in its unique contours.” Photo taken by Daniel Mayer and released under terms of the GNU FDL. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. ... Northern Pacific Railway Categories: Stub | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Idaho railroads | Minnesota railroads | Montana railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads ... Old Faithful Inn (larger version) The interior contains four stories of balconies. ... Chalet A chalet (pronounced ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building in the Alpine region made of wood. ... A dormer is a window set vertically in a structure projecting from a sloping roof. ... The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts, showing four gables in this view. ...

Grand Canyon

In Arizona, in 1901, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway completed a branch from its Chicago-Los Angeles main line to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, several years before Grand Canyon National Monument was proclaimed. In partnership with the Fred Harvey Company, the railroad built a luxury hotel, El Tovar, at the south rim in 1904. The Santa Fe retained Charles Whittlesley of Topeka, Kansas, to design the building, which boasted more than one hundred bedrooms. It opened in January, 1905. Built with turn-of-the-century eclecticism, El Tovar incorporated, according to Fred Harvey literature, exterior elements of the Swiss Chalet and Norway Villa, with an exotic combination of interior motifs, including a fifteenth century dining room, and a series of "art rooms " which contained Thomas Moran paintings, Navajo rugs, and other Native American artifacts. The hotel was "stained to a rich brown or weather-beaten color, that harmonized perfectly with the grey-green of its unique surroundings. It is pleasant to the eye.” 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ... The Grand Canyon is a very colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in the U.S. state of Arizona. ... The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest United States National Parks. ... A Harvey Girl Uniform Fred Harvey (1835-1901) was an entrepreneur who developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, and hotels, which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ... Swiss Chalet is a chain of Canadian family restaurants originally founded in 1954 in Toronto, Ontario. ... Thomas Moran. ... The Navajo (also Navaho) people of the southwestern United States call themselves the Diné (pronounced ), which roughly means the people. They speak the Navajo language, and many are members of the Navajo Nation, an independent government structure which manages the Navajo reservation in the Four Corners area of the United... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska down to their descendants in modern times. ...

An early view of the El Tovar Hotel

Hopi House, directly adjacent to El Tovar, was constructed by Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe in 1905. The building was designed to serve as a gift shop where Native Americans could sell their wares. In that way, it provided an outlet for the Hopi who lived within part of it as well as for the Navajo who built traditional hogans nearby. Hopi House closely copied the Hopi pueblo at Oraibi, Arizona, and was probably designed by Mary Colter, architect for the Fred Harvey Company. The building was constructed in the traditional pueblo style, an idiom well suited to the setting. The Hopi House work had a lasting effect on park architecture, and on contemporary southwestern architecture, although later pueblo adaptations were generally less concerned with authenticity. The stylistic choice on the part of Miss Colter and the Fred Harvey Company was primarily commercial, designed to stimulate interest in Native American goods. Judged by such standards Hopi House was successful; it served as a handsome marketing facility. Hopi House symbolized the partnership between commercialism and romanticism that typified so much of Fred Harvey architecture. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1211, 289 KB)El Tovar Hotel in the early 1900s. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1211, 289 KB)El Tovar Hotel in the early 1900s. ... Hopi woman dressing hair of unmarried girl. ... A Harvey Girl Uniform Fred Harvey (1835-1901) was an entrepreneur who developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, and hotels, which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ... Native Americans are the indigenous peoples within the territory that is now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska down to their descendants in modern times. ... Apache wickiup Wigwam redirects here. ... Pueblos are traditional communities of aboriginal Americans in the southwestern United States of America. ... Orayvi, also called Oraibi, is a Hopi pueblo in Navajo in the U.S. state of Arizona. ... Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter (April 4, 1869 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 1958), American architect. ... Pueblos are traditional communities of aboriginal Americans in the southwestern United States of America. ...

About 1914 the Fred Harvey Company initiated a major expansion of its Grand Canyon facilities. One of the first new structures was the Lookout Studio, designed by Mary Colter. Built of native stone, the canyon-rim structure had an uneven parapet roofline that matched the form and color of the surrounding cliffs. Mary Jane Elizabeth Colter (April 4, 1869 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – 1958), American architect. ... A parapet consists of a dwarf wall along the edge of a roof, or round a lead flat, terrace walk, etc. ...

Fireplace inside Hermit's Rest

Hermit's Rest, another one of Colter's fantasy buildings, was constructed at the head of the Hermit Trail in 1914 to serve as a refreshment stand and gift shop. Constructed of native stones and massive logs, the building seemed to have grown in its setting, and was carefully screened by vegetation. Its most impressive feature was its enormous fireplace. Hermits Rest is located at the western end of Hermit Road, alond the south rim of the Grand Canyon. ... The Hermit Trail is a hiking trail in Grand Canyon National Park, located in the U.S. state of Arizona. ...

Glacier National Park

Beginning in 1911, when Glacier National Park was created, the Great Northern Railway built the Glacier Park Lodge, just outside the park boundary, the Lake McDonald Lodge, the Many Glacier Hotel, and nine mountain chalets in more isolated sites. The Glacier Park Lodge at Glacier Park Station (East Glacier) had a capacity of 400 guests. The enormous log frame complex was four stories high, and six hundred twenty-eight feet long. Complete with music and writing rooms, sun parlor and emergency hospital, the hotel boasted unpeeled log pillars up to four feet in diameter. Used on both exterior and interior, the logs brought nature inside for the pleasure and comfort of the guests. As described in contemporary promotional literature, the “Forest" lobby included an "open camp fire on the Lobby's floor; here tourists and dignified Blackfeet chiefs and weatherbeaten guides cluster of evenings about a great bed of stones on which sticks of fragrant pine crackle merrily.” The structure included on its 160 acre tract a Blackfeet Indian camp. There is also a non-adjoining national park in Canada by the same name. ... A Great Northern EMD F7 Locomotive. ... Glacier Park Lodge is located just outside the boundaries of Glacier National Park in the village of East Glacier Park, Montana, United States. ... A look at the outside of Lake McDonald Lodge Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic lodge located within Glacier National Park, on the northeast shore of Lake McDonald. ... Many Glacier Hotel, looking from above toward Swiftcurrent Lake Many Glacier Hotel is a historic hotel located within Glacier National Park, on the east shore of Swiftcurrent Lake. ... Crowfoot, former Head Chief of the Blackfeet Nation The Piegan Blackfeet, (Pikuni in Blackfoot) are a tribe of Blackfoot Native Americans based in Montana. ...

The chalet camps scattered throughout the park were log or stone structures, built "on the Swiss style of architecture. " Some were log cabin complexes while others, notably Sperry Chalet and Going-to-the-Sun, were stone buildings. Each of the isolated facilities had a huge stone fireplace. Spaced within easy travelling distance of each other, the chalets were located in the most scenic portions of the park. Details of cabin corner joint with squared off logs A log cabin is a small house built from logs. ... Sperry Chalet Sperry Chalet is located about seven miles east of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. ...

Crater Lake

Construction on the Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon began in 1914, although numerous additions were built later. The hotel was constructed directly on the Crater rim approximately 1000 feet above the lake. The original plan was fairly symmetrical. The lower story which was constructed of stone, included handsome arched windows. The upper stories were shingled. The roof, interrupted by rows of dormer windows, had clipped gables at the ends. Although the hotel incorporated local materials into its design in an obvious attempt to subordinate itself to the site, the complex remained relatively intrusive, a result of its siting. The use of stone and shingles was thus an unsuccessful effort, for the highly visible site negated the concessions to environment that had been made with materials. gables may refer to: Gable (architecture) Coral Gables, Florida This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Other National Parks

Other National Parks with structures in this style include:

• Mount Rainier - Paradise Inn, Longmire Buildings
• Bryce Canyon - Bryce Canyon Lodge
• Bandelier National Monument - Civilian Conservation Corps Historic District

Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. ... Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. ... Houses at Bandelier Bandelier National Monument The Bandelier National Monument is a U.S. National Monument consisting of 32,737 acres (132. ... Civilian Conservation Corps workers restoring the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. ...

US State Parks

The style was adopted by a number of state parks in the United States. The work was often performed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Some examples are: Civilian Conservation Corps workers restoring the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. ...

• Illinois' Starved Rock lodge
• The Sylvan Lake lodge in the Black Hills of South Dakota
• Mount Magazine State Park lodge in Arkansas
• The CCC Shelter at Pokagon State Park in Indiana

Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Starved Rock State Park is an Illinois state park located in Utica, Illinois, in rural La Salle County, Illinois, about 75 miles (120 km) west-southwest of downtown Chicago. ... Sylvan Lake, known as the “crown jewel” of Custer State Park, is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. ... The Black Hills The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is somewhat of a geological anomaly—accurately described as... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Mount Magazine is the tallest mountain in the state of Arkansas and is the site of Arkansass newest state park. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,732 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... The CCC Shelter (also known as the Combination Shelter) at Pokagon State Park, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935/36. ... Pokagon State Park is located in northeastern Indiana close to the city of Angola. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ...

External links

• Crater Lake Architecture
• Minnesota State Parks architecture
• Architecture in the Parks: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study online book
• Landmarks in the Landscape: Historic Architecture in the National Parks of the West. Harvey Kaiser, 1997. ISBN 0-8118-1854-3
• Haynes, Wesley. Adirondack Great Camp Theme Study

References

• National Park Service Online Book
• National Park Service, Park Structures and Facilities (Washington, D.C>: Government Printing Office, 1935), 3.
• Merrill Ann Wilson, "Rustic Architecture: The National Park Style," Trends, (July August September, 1976), 4-5.
• Roderick Mash, Wilderness and the American Mind (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1973), 101.
• D. G. Battle and E. N. Thompson, Fort Yellowstone Historic Structure Report (Denver: National Park Service, 1972), 72.
• L. M. Freudenheim and E. Sussman, Building with Nature: Roots of the San Francisco Bay Region Tradition (Santa Barbara: Peregrine Smith, Inc., 1974), 3.
• W. E Colby, "The Completed LeConte Memorial Lodge," Sierra Club Bulletin V (January, 1094), 66-69.
• Robert Shankland, Steve Mather of the National Parks (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1954), 117.
• G. W. James The Grand Canyon and How to See It (Boston: Little Brown and Co., 1910), 17.
• Great Northern Railway, "Glacier National Park, Hotels and Tours," (promotional pamphlet, circa 1915), 3.
• Sierra Club, "Report on Parsons Memorial Lodge," Sierra Club Bulletin, X (January 1916), 84-85.