Mountain Style – Mountain Architects: Hendricks Architecture Idaho

Mountain Architecture: Parkitecture

November 15, 2018 by Brian Reeves Leave a Comment

From Yosemite to Glacier, there are many spectacular national parks in North America, especially out west. In addition to the natural splendor, many park visitors have also been captivated by the rustic mountain architecture of the national park service, otherwise known as Parkitecture.

These buildings appear to be extensions of the very locations on which they stand. The over sized boulders that make up their foundations seem to have been quarried from the nearby cliffs. The old growth rough hewn timbers bearing their walls and roofs appear to have materialized from the adjacent forests. Parkitecture draws from craftsman, Swiss chalets, Adirondack, and other vernacular forms of architecture, and is considered to be one of the early versions of today’s Mountain Architecture.

Many Glacier Lodge Early Mountain Architecture

Many Glacier Lodge in Glacier National Park located on Swiftcurrent Lake with Mt. Grinnell Beyond. This alpine lodge is a fine example of both parkitecture and mountain architecture.

Also known as “National Park Service rustic”, there are many building types that exhibit parkitecture, ranging from museums, park headquarters, ranger’s cabins, vista houses, and lodges. While known for their rustic appearance, these mountain lodges in many respects are far from primitive. They feature grand halls with massive fireplaces, decks and large windows with sweeping views, and fine dining halls.

Parkitecture Many Glacier Lodge Glacier National Park with Lake Swiftcurrent

Many Glacier Lodge as seen from Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park

At the beginning, during the era of the railways, these mountain lodges were catered to the elite who accessed the parks via trains. Glacier, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Parks, specifically, were developed by railway companies. They provided a European traveling experience without need of a 5 – 9 day journey on an ocean liner. Glacier National Park (in northwestern Montana), and its mountain architecture, was marketed by the Great Northern Railway as America’s Alps or the Switzerland of North America.

Many Glacier Lodge Interior

The parkitecture style developed as the national parks grew. Mountain architects such as Gilbert Underwood, Robert Reamer, and Mary Colter all left major contributions to the style. As both an architect and public administrator, Herbert Maier also left a significant impact, often with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Old Faithful Inn, located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, is the largest log structure in the world. Designed by Robert Reamer, it was built in 1904 with local, natural materials, including lodge-pole pine logs.

Exterior of Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful Inn

Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Interior Designer Tyson Ness of Studio Ness

The inn is considered the first of the great park lodges in western America, and is situated such that when visitors arrive they can see directly towards the Old Faithful geyser. Once inside they’re greeted by a towering lobby with a massive stone fireplace and log trusses.

Interior Lobby of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn

The Interior Lobby of Old Faithful Inn. Photo by Interior Designer Tyson Ness of Studio Ness

The Old Faithful Inn, in Yellowstone National Park (Google street view image. For Mobile: pinch to zoom and swipe to pan. Tap the double arrow icon in the lower right to look around. This mode navigates as the user moves their device. For desktop: scroll to zoom in and out. Left click and drag to pan.)

During the Great Depression, president Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to provide work for the unemployed via the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This resulted in the construction of many parkitecture buildings such as the Silver Falls Lodge, the Mt. Spokane Vista House, and most notably Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

The Silver Falls Lodge in Oregon. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Vista House at Mt. Spokane State Park, near Spokane, Washington. Also built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Positioned just at the tree line’s edge on the side of Mt. Hood, Oregon’s tallest peak, is the famous Timberline Lodge. From this prime location one has a front row view of of Mt. Hood, but the view in the opposite direction is also spectacular, with views of Mt. Jefferson and other peaks. Built during the Great Depression through Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) this 74,000 square foot mountain lodge is no small accomplishment. The building features a large two story hexagon room in the center with a dining wing to the right and bedroom wing to the left (as viewed from the main entry side).

Timberline Lodge is located on Mt. Hood with its own ski area. If it looks familiar, the exterior was used in the horror film “The Shining”.

Timberline Lodge Interior featuring a three story chimney with six fireplaces

Timberline Lodge is well known for it’s rustic mountain craftsmanship. Massive timbers make up the framing in the center hall. Each newel post has a unique animal carving. The lodge’s logo, a design rooted in native american heritage, is the snow goose seen in the weather vane on top of the central chimney.

Timberline Lodge Interior

In 1937 Roosevelt arrived in Oregon to dedicate the Bonneville Dam and Timberline Lodge. As the president’s forty vehicle motorcade neared Timberline, mounted Forest Service personnel lined the road to wave and salute him. After arriving he took the elevator to the main floor, came out on the terrace known today as Roosevelt Terrace, and gave a speech on the value of our national forests and the benefits that this mountain lodge would bring to many future generations.

Paradise Inn was built in 1916 on the south flank of Mount Rainier, in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park. Many climbers stay at the Inn before ascending the 14,411 foot (4,392 meters) high mountain. Native materials were used and included cedar shingles, stone and weathered timbers salvaged from an 1885 fire.

Parkitecture Paradise Lodge Mt. Rainier National Park

The Paradise Inn at Mt. Rainier National Park, on the south flank of Mt. Rainier

Paradise Inn and the Crater Lake Lodge (in Oregon), for example, have both received extensive restorations, with most of the Crater Lake Lodge being entirely rebuilt.

Crater Lake Lodge

Parkitecture Rim Village Crater Lake National Park

The Rim Village Visitor’s Center in Crater Lake National Park, a short walk west from the Crater Lake Lodge

Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel. Photo credit to Nicole, Instagram’s sanjuan_gypsySituated on the valley floor of Yosemite National Park (California), with magnificent views of the Royal Arches, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and Glacier Point is the Ahwahnee Hotel. Built two decades after Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn, this mountain hotel was intended to be a hotel decked with the finer things in life. The Ahwahnee was the product of a group of architects, bureaucrats, visionaries, and businessmen. Stephen Mather, most well known as the first director of the National Parks Service, was the lead on this project. Mountain architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, a graduate of Harvard, is responsible for the design. When it was built in 1926 the construction cost was $1.5 million. The hotel was recently renamed “The Majestic Yosemite Hotel” due to a disagreement with the national government and a concessions business.

Ahwahnee Hotel Exterior

Ahwahnee Hotel Interior

Mather presided when the hotel opened in July of 1926. He got his grand mountain hotel in his favorite national park. The completed masterpiece stands as a testament to the talent of Underwood. Each asymmetrical level of the six story core has a chimney. The two wings are three stories each. Though the hotel is very grand, it is humbled by the tall ponderosa, oak, and sequoia trees that surround it, and being located at the center of Yosemite Valley, its size is further minimized by the surrounding lofty cliffs.

The president of the Great Northern Railway, Louis Hill, stepped down in 1912, from his position as president, to develop the mountain lodges of Glacier National Park. The Glacier Park Lodge located at East Glacier was the first of many mountain lodges to be built in Glacier. Since this lodge would be accessed via rail there is a train station just across the lawn.

The Glacier Park Lodge – at East Glacier

Hill was very fond of the Forestry building built in Portland Oregon for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. It was known as the world’s largest log cabin. As such, he chose to model the Glacier Park Lodge after the forestry building. The Forestry building was a long building with two cross gables at each end. There was a long two story porch along the entry side, and it featured a large atrium in the center, the length of the building. All these attributes were carried into the design of Glacier Park Lodge. Sadly, in 1964, the Forestry Building completely burnt down due to a fire caused by faulty electrical wiring. On a positive note, one could say that the Forestry Building’s form lives on as the Glacier Park Lodge.

Mountain Architecture World's Largest Log Cabin

The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition’s Forestry Building was built in 1905 in Portland Oregon. It was known as the world’s largest log cabin. It burnt down in 1964 (photo credit: wikipedia)

Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park (Montana) was designed by architect Kirtland Cutter and built in 1913. The lodge is one of the USA’s best examples of large-scale Swiss chalet architecture. It was built during a time when railroads wanted to attract tourists and create upscale destination resorts that were an equal to the extraordinary scenic areas.

Lake McDonald Lodge Glacier National Park – Exterior View

Lake McDonald Lodge Glacier National Park Interior

Many structures were influenced by the National Park Lodges. In Canada, the Jasper National Park Information Center, designed by Edmonton architect A.M. Calderon, was heavily influenced by Parkitecture. This in turn influenced other buildings in the Canadian National Park system. Built in 1914 and located in the town of Jasper, Alberta, it served as a landmark for passengers arriving on the Canadian National Railway, and still is the primary visitor contact center for visitors to the park. In 1992 it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Parkitecture Jasper National Park Information Center

Detail of the Jasper National Park Information Center in Jasper, Alberta.

Decades have gone by since the “glory days” of parkitecture. National park funding is now tight and many of these beloved buildings are showing signs of age. As architect Steve Mouzon puts it, “If a building cannot be loved, then it is likely to be demolished and carted off to the landfill in only a generation or two.” Fortunately these buildings are dearly loved.

Do you have a favorite work of Parkitecture?

What has been your experience? Have you visited any of these buildings and have fond memories there? Are there any others that you hope to visit? Please feel free to let us know in the comments below.

For more on early mountain architecture, see Origins of Mountain Architecture in America.

Brian Reeves

Hendricks Architecture, mountain architects in Sandpoint, Idaho. We’ve designed everything from small mountain cabins and beach houses, to expansive mountain lodges and estates. We’re always open to designing castles and cathedrals as well.

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Old World Architecture: Doors of England

February 28, 2015 by John Hendricks, Architect AIA 5 Comments

On a recent trip to England I couldn’t help noticing all of the old world doors still in use. Many of our clients request the timeless old world appearance in doors and in other architectural elements. This is the case whether it’s Mountain style architecture, Beach House, Storybook, Tuscan, and others. Being an architect, and having a new Nikon, of course I had to start snapping photographs of these treasures.

Door of the Stow-on-the-Wold Parish Church in England, flanked by yew trees.

As you can see, it’s not just the doors themselves that make great entryways, but also the surrounding architecture, and even the landscaping. The entry above, at Stow-on-the-Wold’s St. Edwards Parish Church in the Cotswolds, could just as easily be seen in a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movie.

Door in the old world architecture of the Cotswolds

This entry door is subtle in a Cotswold’s thatched home.

Britain’s oldest door

It doesn’t get much more old world than this. The door above, in London’s Westminster Abbey, is Britain’s oldest door. The text below reads, “Most likely constructed in the 1050’s for St. Edward the Confessor – Westminster Abbey”.

The entry door to the Pyx Chamber in Westminster Abbey.

Located just around the corner from Britain’s oldest door, the door above is to the Pyx Chamber in Westminster Abbey. This chamber was used as a treasury for both the monastery and for the British crown.

Below is the entrance to Alnwick Castle, in northeastern England. This entrance is actually the “entrance gate”, which typically invaders would try to take down when storming the castle. These doors are about 6″ (15 cm) thick.

Old world entrance doors, gates of Alnwick Castle, of Harry Potter fame.

Alnwick Castle Entrance

By the way, if you ever want to do something fun with the kids, take them here for broomstick training from a Hogwarts wizard. If you’ve ever seen the first Harry Potter movie, this is where Harry took his flying lessons on the Hogwarts grounds. For more info on Hogwarts, see our blog post on The Architecture of Hogwarts Castle.

Entrance to Alnwick Castle Keep as seen in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey

The Entrance to Alnwick Castle’s Keep

The above photo is of the entrance gates to Alnwick Castle’s keep. Keeps were fortified residences on the castle interior, typically used as a refuge of last resort should the castle fall to an enemy. Alnwick Castle’s Keep currently houses the State Rooms of the Duke of Northumberland and his family. Speaking of filming locations, it also housed the 2014 Downton Abbey Christmas Special.

Below is another side door at Stow-on-the-Wold’s Parish Church. Fairly simple, you can easily see the decorative steel plates and clavos, which were large, often decorative nails, usually connecting to plates on the other side of the door.

Old world door at Stow-on-the-Wold Parish Church

Another side door at Stow-on-the-Wold’s Parish Church

Below is a rustic door at Hampton Court Palace. This door is located in the kitchen area, and is fairly nondescript, except for its arch (which were common in the Tudor age) and wood timber door header. Hampton Court Palace used to be one of the homes of the tyrant King Henry VIII. The vast kitchens were able to serve grand feasts to a thousand people. On our recent trip we could have stood inside one of the roasting ovens, if not for the roaring fire inside it.

Old world architecture and door at Hampton Court Palace

A rustic door and header at Hampton Court Palace

Below is another fairly simple Tudor arched door at Hampton Court Palace.

Another door in the kitchen’s of Hampton Court Palace

Sure, door design has improved in recent years (in some ways), but if anyone wants a true “old world” door, it’s always good to hearken back to the classics. These give hints of the steel plates, levers (handles), clavos, and other hardware that are popular today in newer versions of “old world” doors.

These photos are only from my travels, and so by no means are the best old world doors out there. I’ll include some more from other countries later. I’d be interested to know of other great doors around the world. Feel free to leave comments or even send photos, and I may include them in a future post.

John Hendricks, AIA Architect

Hendricks Architecture designs custom residences throughout the USA and elsewhere, from small beach houses to larger mountain style homes, and just about everything in between. We design collaboratively with our clients, creating the right fit for their lifestyles and aesthetics. Doors are an integral part of the design, and can either be custom designed for each location, or we can help you choose from some reputable door manufacturers.

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The Family Cabin

September 26, 2013 by John Hendricks, Architect AIA Leave a Comment

I’ve designed a lot of family cabins as an architect. Each cabin is custom-made for each unique family and its individuals. The goal is typically to build a comfortable and special place that will become a home base for fond memories, and I do my best to pick our client’s brains to achieve that objective. I have experience on both sides of the issue, so I thought I’d share some experiences I’ve had in the family cabin where my siblings and I spent our childhood summers.

John Hendricks trout fisherman before architect

Me (John) with one of many trout we caught.

Our cabin was located at Huntington Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about halfway between Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks in California. The cabin wasn’t exactly a masterpiece of mountain architecture. The main level consisted of a mudroom/pantry, a small kitchen around a built-in dining table, a bathroom, small master bedroom, and a fairly large living room (great rooms weren’t invented yet) with a high vaulted ceiling. This ceiling was not held up with the large architectural timber trusses we commonly design today, but with trusses made up from a conglomeration of patterns made out of 2×6’s, which later had to be fortified after the roof started sagging. We had a 12:12 (12” vertical to 12” horizontal) roof pitch, which was ample enough space for a second bedroom upstairs. All the walls and ceilings were pine, which was very common way back in the 20^th century.

Our family mountain cabin in winter after heavy snowfall

Our cabin in winter.

The three of us brothers let our sister take the bedroom in the summers. We slept outside in an army tent. With four cots on the perimeter and two spaces on the floor, there was ample space for friends and cousins as well.

I was seven years old when we moved in, and we spent a lot of those first few summers’ trout fishing. We’d fish off docks and our secret “fishing hole”, and would catch enough for some large pan-friend trout dinners. We also caught a few sucker fish. An elderly couple in a nearby cabin kept a garden and would pay us 5 cents for every sucker fish we caught. It was mutually beneficial. They would use the sucker parts for fertilizer, while we’d save up our nickels to buy comic books, which were only 25 cents back then (all of a sudden I feel really dated writing this).

My brothers and I fishing on Huntington Lake.

We’d walk a couple miles through the woods and cross a big log over a stream to get to the store at Cedar Crest Resort. Cedar Crest had plenty of comic books, where I began buying Casper and Richie Rich, and later moved on to Marvel Comics (Captain America was a favorite) and Mad Magazine. Evenings would be spent reading or playing games. Poker, Monopoly and Mystery Date were favorites that the previous owners had left us. Yes, Mystery Date. I did mention we have a sister. We had a lot of laughs with this one. The previous owners also left us stacks of National Geographics, Little Lulu comics, and Mad Magazines from the 50’s and 60’s. That’s where I learned all my culture, despite my dad’s best intentions taking us to the Fresno Philharmonic concerts.

The Mystery Date Game. About as much strategy as Candy Land.

My parents had a San Juan 21 sailboat and would use that for cruising and racing. Huntington Lake is known as one of the best sailing lakes around, and every year holds the High Sierra Regatta, which pulls in top quality competition (about 150 boats each weekend including some Olympic sailors) for two weekends. My brothers and I started off racing in 8 foot flippers, and eventually moved up to Lasers and crewing (and skippering) on the bigger boats.

The Fresno Yacht Club’s High Sierra Regatta

The San Juan 21’s were among those racing the first weekend. The week preceding the races was always my favorite week of the year. There were about twenty San Juan’s in the fleet, and we were all good friends. Every night a party would be held at one of the owner’s cabins. For some reason our party was always held on Thursday nights. The adults would always have a rousing good time (for some reason a few seemed a little groggy the next day), while us kids would go off into the night after dinner, playing “spotlight” going to “the swing” or playing “spoons”. Later, as the boys came to appreciate the girls a little more, we’d go to Lakeshore Resort to go dancing, where old Charlie Hull was the DJ. He was the entertainment director from the 1940’s through the 80’s, and made it a lively time.

Fun at the Hendricks Family mountain cabin

One of my brothers (middle) and cousins (right) at the Hendricks Cabin. Can you guess the decade?

In August the action at the lake would cool down a little in the sailing world, so we’d sometimes go backpacking deep into the Sierra’s for a week at a time. My dad was an Eagle Scout, and he taught us a lot about living in the backcountry, which served me well later as I continue taking friends and family back into the wilderness. Sometimes we’d set up a central base camp and hike from there every day, but usually we’d do a big loop through places we’ve never been. In our high school years just the boys and my dad would go (my sister had no interest and was old enough to say no). My younger brother and I played football and our coaches would get upset that we weren’t in the gym lifting weights. They didn’t understand that we were getting a lot better workout than our teammates!

Family backpacking from the mountain cabin

The family backpacking in the earlier years. I’m second from the left. Even the dog had a pack.

Hendricks brothers backpacking in the Sierras.

My brothers and I (right) after crossing a High Sierra mountain pass in August. Shot by my dad. At 16 I just received my driver’s license, but there’s no driving up here.

High Sierra Mountain Backpacking 80s bangs

Those who know me might find this amusing. Here’s me and my bangs on that same trip, circa early 80’s.

The roads were not plowed in the winter so we would ski in about four miles once or twice a year to shovel the snow off the roof (those trusses made of 2×6’s!) and deck, and to one of the entry doors. The Sierra winters can be brutal, and I remember one winter where we couldn’t do the whole roof, even though it was a fairly small cabin. Some winters we could touch the snow from the second level bedroom window. One winter it snowed so much that the roads weren’t plowed within thirty miles of the cabin, but just to the top of the four lane highway. So we proceeded to ski up and down the highway (not much traffic and I was only about 13). I was skiing down the highway by myself when the highway patrol pulled me over. They took me back to the car and admonished my dad without giving a ticket, who then cursed them after they left.

Here’s the cabin again under heavy snow.

In the late 80’s we had to sell the cabin. The buyer quickly remodeled and added on to it. I’ll always remember the way it was though, and could design the same cabin from memory if I wanted to. I probably never will as it wasn’t the most efficient or the best design. But for about fifteen years it was the best cabin there ever was.

John Hendricks, Architect AIA

Kids at Lakeshore Resort Huntington Lake

A few of the next generation of Hendricks kids at Huntington Lake’s Lakeshore Resort about ten years ago.

Hendricks Architecture designs mountain style homes and cabins throughout North America. Please visit our selected projects page for some of our more recent projects. Click to Subscribe to Hendricks Architecture’s Blog
If you have an interest in having a cabin designed, or in talking about the good old days at Huntington Lake, please feel free to call or email me, or contact me on our Contact Page.

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