Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, CA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
The Ahwahnee Hotel was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. He also designed the Zion Lodge, Bryce Canyon Lodge, and Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge. The interior was designed by Dr. Phyllis Ackerman and Professor Arthur Upham Pope.

The site for the hotel is below the Royal Arches rock formation in a meadow area that had served in the past as a village for the native Miwoks. The site was chosen for its views of many of the iconic sights in Yosemite, including Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point, and its exposure to the sun allowing for natural heating.

The hotel was constructed from 5,000 tons of rough-cut granite, 1,000 tons of steel, and 30,000 feet of timber. The 'wood siding' and 'structural timber' on the exterior of the hotel is actually formed of stained concrete poured into molds to simulate a wood pattern. Concrete was chosen as the material for the outside 'wood' elements to add fire resistance to the hotel. The construction lasted 11 months and had a cost of $1,225,000 upon completion in July 1927.

Street address: 1 Ahwahnee Rd Yosemite National Park, CA USA 95389 County / Borough / Parish: Mariposa Year listed: 1977 Historic significance: Architecture/Engineering Period of significance: 1925-1949 Historic function: Domestic Hotel Current function: Domestic, Landscape - Hotel, Park Privately owned?: no [U.S.] National Register of Historic Places URL: [Web Link] Website (secondary): [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed

Visit Instructions:

To log a waymark in this category, please provide a photograph that shows you (or your GPS receiver, if you're waymarking solo) and the place.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   9/9/2011 Weathervane visited it