The
Ahwahnee Hotel is a
destination hotelA destination hotel is a place of lodging whose inherent location and amenities attract visitors regardless of the route needed to arrive or the areawide features of interest. The destination hotel concept has existed at least since the 19th century and occupies a significant market share of all...
in
Yosemite National ParkYosemite National Park is a national park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
on the floor of
Yosemite ValleyYosemite Valley is a world-famous scenic location in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It is the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park, attracting visitors from all parts of the globe....
, constructed from stone, concrete, wood and glass, which opened in 1927. It is a premiere example of
National Park Service RusticNational Park Service Rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, 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...
architecture, and was declared a
National Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the National Register of Historic Places...
in 1987.
The Ahwahnee Hotel was designed by architect
Gilbert Stanley UnderwoodGilbert Stanley Underwood was an American architect best known for his National Park lodges. Born in 1890, Underwood received his B.A. from Yale in 1920 and a M.A. from Harvard in 1923. After opening an office in Los Angeles that year, he became associated with Daniel Hull of the National Park...
, who also designed the
Zion LodgeZion Lodge is located in Zion National Park. The lodge was designed in 1924 as a compromise solution between its developer, the Utah Parks Company, which wanted a large hotel, and National Park Servicedirector Stephen Mather, who desired smaller-scale development...
,
Bryce Canyon LodgeBryce Canyon Lodge is a lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. It was built between 1924 and 1925 using local materials.Designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the lodge is an excellent example of National Park Service Rustic design...
, and
Grand Canyon North Rim LodgeGrand Canyon Lodge is a hotel and cabins complex at Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood who also designed The Ahwahnee, Bryce Canyon Lodge, and Zion Lodge....
, with interior design directed by Dr. Phyllis Ackerman and
Professor Arthur Upham PopeArthur Upham Pope , was an American archaeologist and historian of Persian art.Born in Phoenix, Rhode Island, graduated from Worcester Academy in 1899, and taught at Amherst College and the University of California. He married fellow Persian art historian, Phyllis Ackerman, in 1920. In 1923, 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
MiwokMiwok can refer to any one of four linguistically-related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
s, who formerly lived in the valley, and a stables complex known as Kenneyville.
The
Ahwahnee Hotel is a
destination hotelA destination hotel is a place of lodging whose inherent location and amenities attract visitors regardless of the route needed to arrive or the areawide features of interest. The destination hotel concept has existed at least since the 19th century and occupies a significant market share of all...
in
Yosemite National ParkYosemite National Park is a national park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
on the floor of
Yosemite ValleyYosemite Valley is a world-famous scenic location in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It is the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park, attracting visitors from all parts of the globe....
, constructed from stone, concrete, wood and glass, which opened in 1927. It is a premiere example of
National Park Service RusticNational Park Service Rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, 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...
architecture, and was declared a
National Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. All NHLs are listed in the National Register of Historic Places...
in 1987.
Construction
The Ahwahnee Hotel was designed by architect
Gilbert Stanley UnderwoodGilbert Stanley Underwood was an American architect best known for his National Park lodges. Born in 1890, Underwood received his B.A. from Yale in 1920 and a M.A. from Harvard in 1923. After opening an office in Los Angeles that year, he became associated with Daniel Hull of the National Park...
, who also designed the
Zion LodgeZion Lodge is located in Zion National Park. The lodge was designed in 1924 as a compromise solution between its developer, the Utah Parks Company, which wanted a large hotel, and National Park Servicedirector Stephen Mather, who desired smaller-scale development...
,
Bryce Canyon LodgeBryce Canyon Lodge is a lodge in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. It was built between 1924 and 1925 using local materials.Designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the lodge is an excellent example of National Park Service Rustic design...
, and
Grand Canyon North Rim LodgeGrand Canyon Lodge is a hotel and cabins complex at Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood who also designed The Ahwahnee, Bryce Canyon Lodge, and Zion Lodge....
, with interior design directed by Dr. Phyllis Ackerman and
Professor Arthur Upham PopeArthur Upham Pope , was an American archaeologist and historian of Persian art.Born in Phoenix, Rhode Island, graduated from Worcester Academy in 1899, and taught at Amherst College and the University of California. He married fellow Persian art historian, Phyllis Ackerman, in 1920. In 1923, 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
MiwokMiwok can refer to any one of four linguistically-related groups of Native Americans, native to Northern California, who spoke one of the Miwokan languages in the Utian family...
s, who formerly lived in the valley, and a stables complex known as Kenneyville. The site was chosen for its views of many of the iconic sights in Yosemite, including
Half DomeHalf Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar sight. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor.-Geology:...
,
Yosemite FallsYosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America. Located in Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in late spring when the water flow is at its peak....
and
Glacier PointGlacier Point is a viewpoint above Yosemite Valley, in California, USA. It is located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of , above Curry Village...
, and its exposure to the sun allowing for natural heating.
The hotel was constructed from 5,000 tons (4,535 t) of rough-cut granite, 1,000 tons (907 t) of steel, and 30,000 feet (9,140 m) 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
US$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
1,225,000 upon completion in July 1927.
History
Just before opening, the director noticed that the
porte-cochereA porte-cochere is the architectural term for a porch or portico-like structure at a main or secondary entrance to a building, through which it is possible for a horse and carriage or motor vehicle to pass, in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather.The...
planned for the west side of the building, where the Indian room now sits, would cause exhaust fumes from automobiles to invade the premises. A hastily designed Douglas Fir pole porte-cochere entry and parking area was erected on the east side of the hotel to correct this. The logs were replaced in the 1990s.
Almost immediately after opening, the next of many alterations were made to the hotel. In 1928, a roof garden and dance hall were converted into a private apartment after the dance hall failed to draw an audience. It was found that the load-bearing
trussIn architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight slender members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and...
es in the dining room were barely adequate to support the snow load on the roof and potential earthquake stresses. This led to the trusses being reinforced in 1931-32.
When Prohibition was rescinded in 1933, a private dining room was converted into the El Dorado Diggins bar, themed to the
California Gold RushThe California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and...
period.
1943 saw the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
take over the hotel for use as a convalescent hospital for war veterans. Some of the changes made to the hotel by the Navy were repainting of the interior, conversion of chauffeur and maid rooms into guest rooms and enclosure of the original porte-cochere.
The 1950s, '60s and '70s brought modernizations to the hotel including fire escapes, a fire alarm system, smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, along with an outdoor swimming pool and automatic elevators.
2003-2004 saw a major roof overhaul, where virtually the entire slate-tile roof, and copper gutter system was replaced. Martech Associates, Inc. of Millheim, Pennsylvania designed the updated roof and served as the general contractor for the project. The project cost approximately 4 million USD and is especially noted for its 97 percent material recycling rate.
An article in the Los Angeles Times on March 13, 2009 stated that seismic retrofits may be needed for the Ahwahnee.
Lodging
The Ahwahnee Hotel's 150,000-foot² (13,935 m²) Y-shaped building has 99 hotel rooms, parlors and suites, each being accented with original
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
designs. 24 cottages bring the total number of rooms to 123. A room off the main lobby features
skiingSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
and Yosemite memorabilia. The building itself is designed to blend harmoniously with the nearby Yosemite Valley cliffs. Prices per night range from $439 to $1015.
Popular culture
The
Overlook HotelThe Overlook Hotel is the fictional hotel from Stephen King's novel The Shining and its adaptations. The hotel is an amalgamation of parts of real hotels across the United States...
set of the
Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American director, writer, producer, and photographer of films, who lived in England during most of the last 40 years of his career...
movie
The ShiningThe Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. Though it had mixed reviews from the critics upon its release it was wildly popular with moviegoers and financially successful...
was modeled after areas in the Ahwahnee hotel lobby.
External links