Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Nearest city:	West Yellowstone, Montana
Coordinates:	44°27′35.24″N 110°49′49.1″W / 44.4597889°N 110.830306°W / 44.4597889; -110.830306Coordinates: 44°27′35.24″N 110°49′49.1″W / 44.4597889°N 110.830306°W / 44.4597889; -110.830306
Built:	1903
Architect:	Reamer,Robert C.
Architectural style:	National Park Service Rustic
Governing body:	National Park Service
NRHP Reference#:	73000226
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	July 23, 1973[1]
Designated NHL:	May 28, 1987 [2]

The interior contains four stories of balconies, but only the bottom two are open to the public.

The Old Faithful Inn is a hotel located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States, with a clear view of the renowned Old Faithful Geyser.

Architecture

The inn's architect was 29-year-old Robert Reamer, an architect for the Yellowstone Park Company, which was affiliated with the Great Northern Railway. Reamer was hired by Harry W. Child, the president of the Yellowstone Park Company, who had met Reamer in San Diego through mutual acquaintances.^[3]

With its spectacular log and limb lobby and massive (500-ton, 85-foot) stone fireplace, the inn is a prime example of the "Golden Age" of rustic resort architecture, a style which is also known as National Park Service Rustic. It is also unique in that it is one of the few log hotels still standing in the United States.

Initial construction was carried out over the winter of 1903-1904, largely using locally-obtained materials including lodgepole pine (the bark was later removed in 1940) and rhyolite stone. When the Old Faithful Inn first opened in the spring of 1904, it boasted electric lights and steam heat.

The structure is the largest log hotel in the world; possibly even the largest log building in the world. In 2007 the American Institute of Architects conducted a survey to determine the 150 favorite buildings in America; the Old Faithful Inn ranked 36. The Inn, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, is itself part of the Old Faithful Historic District.

History

A firefighter sprays water on the roof during the 1988 fires

The Inn has been expanded and modified several times. In 1913 the East Wing was added to the 120-room original structure, and in 1922 the dining room was enlarged. In 1927-1928 the West Wing was built, and the front of the main building extended. All of these modifications were carried out under the supervision of the original architect, Robert Reamer. An automatic fire sprinkler system was added in 1948.

The facility was closed for the duration of the Second World War (along with all other hotels in the park) and the park was unprepared for the huge number of visitors in 1946.

On August 17, 1959 the Old Faithful Inn was shaken by the Hebgen Lake earthquake which collapsed the dining room fireplace chimney and damaged the huge lobby fireplace, reducing the number of usable hearths from eight to two. The building was partially shaken loose from its foundations, and access to some of the upper levels had to be restricted due to safety concerns. There were no deaths or serious injuries at the Inn as a result of the earthquake. The dining room fireplace was rebuilt, but the outside portion of the lobby fireplace chimney was replaced with a single steel pipe, visible in many exterior photos.

The Old Faithful Inn was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.^[2][4]

In 1988 the inn was seriously threatened by the North Fork Fire, but was saved by the actions of firefighters, volunteers, and a sprinkler system which was installed on the roof the previous year.^[5]

The high-range rooms in the East and West wing additions were renovated in 1998 and 1999. In celebration of the Inn's centennial in 2004, a major multi-million dollar renovation project of the original "Old House" started construction with the help of A&E Architects of Missoula, Montana. The project was broken into 3 construction phases with the final phase scheduled for completion in June 2008. When finished, the building will meet current building codes and will have a complete infrastructure upgrade including new electrical, plumbing, and heating systems as well as major structural upgrades. In addition to the replacement of the systems of the building, finishes will be cleaned and restored while maintaining as much of the historic material as possible. Wood and wool floor finishes, bathroom tile and fixtures, new replica historic hardware, and an interpretation of the original lavatory stands and basins by Charles Limbert will be installed. Original elements including the recessing of the floor and hearth of the large fireplace in the main lobby and reconstruction of log walls removed in the lobby will correct multiple modifications and changes over the years and bring the Inn back to match more closely Reamer's original design. Great care and sensitivity has been taken to integrate systems and restore and install original and new finishes to maintain the appearance and layout of the Inn during the period immediately after it opened its doors in 1904.

Its notable visitors are numerous, even preceding its construction. Chester Arthur camped outside the East Wing area in 1883, Theodore Roosevelt visited the site in 1903, Warren Harding stayed in 1923, Calvin Coolidge in 1927, and Franklin Roosevelt in the fall of 1937.

Old Faithful Inn was featured in the 1936 movie Yellowstone.

According to park lore, a freak blizzard struck the Old Faithful Inn on August 25 sometime in the early twentieth century. Rather than lament the fact that they were isolated, the guests were said to have taken the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in August.^[6]

Images of Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn from Beehive Geyser, 1904 by Frank Jay Haynes   Old Faithful Inn Lobby, 1904, Frank Jay Haynes   1909   Undated Frank Jay Haynes postcard   Undated Frank Jay Haynes postcard of Old Faithful Inn Dining Room   Summer 2007

See also

• Château Montebello, a Canadian equivalent

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Old Faithful Inn". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-26. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1310&ResourceType=Building. 
3. ^ Barringer, pp. 44-47
4. ^ Laura Soulliere Harrison (1985) (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Old Faithful Inn. National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/73000226.pdf. Retrieved 2009-06-21  and Accompanying 28 photos, porch and interior, from 1985PDF (2.94 MB)
5. ^ Fanselow, Julie. "Still Faithful" American Heritage, April/May 2004.
6. ^ Quinn, Leslie (Summer 2001). "Savage Christmas: "...the best of times"" (PDF). Yellowstone Science: A quarterly publication devoted to the natural and cultural resources Volume 9 Issue 3. http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/YS9%283%29.pdf. Retrieved April 15, 2009. 

Sources

• Barringer, Mark Daniel. Selling Yellowstone: Capitalism and the Construction of Nature, Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2002. ISBN 978-070061167-3
• Haines, Aubrey L. The Yellowstone Story: A History of Our First National Park, Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado, 1996. ISBN 978-070061167-3
• Quinn, Ruth. Weaver of Dreams: The Life and Architecture of Robert C. Reamer, Gardiner, Montana: Leslie & Ruth Quinn, 2004. ISBN 0-87081+391-9

External links

• Architecture in the Parks: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study: Old Faithful Inn, at National Park Service.
• Old Faithful Inn at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office