#21 - The Lodge at Sugar Bowl - Donner Pass, CA
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 39° 18.821 W 120° 20.312
10S E 729456 N 4354965
History sign along the Hwy 40 Scenic Bypass.
Waymark Code: WMW0GH
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 06/21/2017
Views: 1
History sign #21 of the Hwy 40 Scenic Bypass series.
Text of sign #21 - The Lodge at Sugar Bowl
History
William Wilson Wurster was the most “influential unknown architect in California.” He designed many houses and buildings such as Ghirardelli Square, Cowell College at UC Santa Cruz, as well as other U.C. and Stanford University buildings. Worsted Hall at U.C. Berkeley is named for him.
Wurster believed in simple, climate suited designs that were understated. He wanted buildings that fit and took advantage of the environment or even seemed to grow from it. He could, as his wife said, make an $80,000 house seem like a $10,000 house with unostentatious simple design. That’s what he accomplished with the Lodge at Sugar Bowl.
Take a look at the lodge. The back side nestles among the trees while the open front faces the mountain it serves. This exposes the life in the lodge to the mountain view, the center of skiing activity, and the sun. The design takes into account Summit snowfalls of 35-40 feet a year and drifts as high as 20 feet. The lodge sits off the ground and the roof sheds to the back. Large overhangs shelter balconies. The exterior is simple and unpretentious. The simple design lets the grader around the lodge be the focus rather than the lodge itself.
Pictured right is the lodge in 1939 and before expansion. The middle picture shows the lower terminal for the first chair lift. As snows deepened the motor would move up the ramp.
A Good Story
A number of movies have been done on Donner Summit and a couple of those have been done at Sugar Bowl. “A Two Faced Woman,” staring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas was one featuring Sugar Bowl and the lodge along with some amazing comedic skiing. A second, starring Goofie, “The Art of Skiing,” also featured a cameo by the lodge as well as some amazing skiing that you should not try on your own. Both are still available today on the internet.
Group that erected the marker: Donner Summit Historical Society
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
On Hwy 40 about a half mile west of Donner Pass.
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