Chris Jorgenson Studio
Encyclopedia
The Chris Jorgenson Studio is a one room log building, built in 1904 as an artist's studio for Chris Jorgenson in the Yosemite Valley
. Jorgenson, an instructor and assistant director of the California School of Fine Arts, arrived in Yosemite in the 1890s. Jorgenson studied and depicted local native Americans from 1899, collecting native basketwork. The National Park Service
acquired the Jorgenson Studio in 1919, calling it the Yosemite Museum. Jorgenson donated his basket collection to the museum in 1923. Jorgenson's widow, Angela Ghiardelli, donated many of Jorgenson's works to the museum following his death in 1935. From the 1920s the Park Service worked to remove what were regarded as intrusive structures in the center of the valley. The Jorgenson Studio was moved to the Wawona
area in 1962 to become part of the Pioneer Yosemite History Center as part of a Mission 66
program to assemble historic structures at the location.
The one story cabin measures 22 feet (6.7 m) by 37 feet (11.3 m) with a steep gable roof that extends beyond the front of the cabin to form a porch. The gable over the porch is decorated by a vertical log infill pattern, with a sleeping loft within. a massive stone fireplace dominates the left side elevation
The Jorgenson Studio was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on April 13, 1979.
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
. Jorgenson, an instructor and assistant director of the California School of Fine Arts, arrived in Yosemite in the 1890s. Jorgenson studied and depicted local native Americans from 1899, collecting native basketwork. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
acquired the Jorgenson Studio in 1919, calling it the Yosemite Museum. Jorgenson donated his basket collection to the museum in 1923. Jorgenson's widow, Angela Ghiardelli, donated many of Jorgenson's works to the museum following his death in 1935. From the 1920s the Park Service worked to remove what were regarded as intrusive structures in the center of the valley. The Jorgenson Studio was moved to the Wawona
Wawona, California
Wawona is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. It is located east of Mariposa, at an elevation of 3999 feet...
area in 1962 to become part of the Pioneer Yosemite History Center as part of a Mission 66
Mission 66
Mission 66 was a US National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service....
program to assemble historic structures at the location.
The one story cabin measures 22 feet (6.7 m) by 37 feet (11.3 m) with a steep gable roof that extends beyond the front of the cabin to form a porch. The gable over the porch is decorated by a vertical log infill pattern, with a sleeping loft within. a massive stone fireplace dominates the left side elevation
The Jorgenson Studio was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on April 13, 1979.
See also
Other structures at the Pioneer Yosemite History Center include:- Acting Superintendent's HeadquartersActing Superintendent's HeadquartersThe Acting Superintendent's Headquarters in Yosemite National Park was built by the U.S. Army at Camp A.E. Wood in the Wawona district of the park in 1904 to house the commander of the military administration that operated the park in the years prior to the establishment of the National Park...
- Hodgdon Homestead CabinHodgdon Homestead CabinThe Hodgdon Homestead Cabin was built by Jeremiah Hodgdon in 1879 in the Aspen Valley area of what became Yosemite National Park. The two story log cabin, measuring by , was located in an inholding in the park, owned by Hodgdon's descendants. In the 1950s the family proposed to demolish the...
- Wawona Covered BridgeWawona Covered BridgeThe Wawona Covered Bridge is a covered bridge spanning the South Fork of the Merced River near Wawona, California in Yosemite National Park. The bridge was built by Galen Clark, the steward of what was then called the Yosemite Grant, in 1868, without its cladding. The bridge was a major component...