Badger Pass Ski Lodge, Yosemite National Park, California
For one of the earliest downhill ski lodges built in California and a rare example of a ski lodge operated within a national park, Page & Turnbull served as architect and historic preservation consultant for the rehabilitation of the 1935 Badger Pass Ski Lodge. Built in the NPS rustic style, the building has Swiss chalet influences revealed in the sloped roofline, bracketed overhangs, divided-lite windows, and natural wood finishes.
The project team completed a Historic Structure Report, or HSR, as well as a Determination of Eligibility and Cultural Landscape Report, known as a CLR, to understand fully the historic significance of the building and site. Historic research conducted at the Yosemite National Park archives and other local repositories led to a new narrative chronology of how the location was developed.
One essential task: Because the lodge had been altered and expanded over the years, the team had to identify what portions of the structure dated to its period of significance. This discovery informs treatment recommendations and the study of rehabilitation alternatives. Completed according to NPS guidelines, California Office of Historic Preservation approved the project as a California Register-eligible historic site.
The historic research also unveiled valuable details on the birth of winter tourism in Yosemite and the rising popularity of downhill skiing in the United States. Once the location for intercollegiate ski championships and considered a potential venue for the Winter Olympics, Badger Pass now hosts families and day skiers.
North Rim Cabins & Lodge, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Another major challenge for many NPS facilities is to provide full ADA-compliant access while maintaining the historic integrity of landmark structures. This is especially tricky for highly popular locations subject to extreme weather conditions.
This was the focus of work by a team led by Page & Turnbull to rehabilitate nine historic guest log cabins in a National Historic Landmark district on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim designed by renowned park architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and built in 1928.
Work on the exteriors and site as well as access modifications—including full path-of-travel from designated parking, entry, and fully compliant toilet facilities—were designed to be consistent with the historic landscape of this unique historic area.
To help NPS and the lodgings operator meet their goals for accommodating visitors, the design and construction work was extremely fast paced. Within a month, the project team completed a conditions survey, reviewed interior layouts, and developed working drawings. Due to the area’s popularity and extreme weather conditions, all construction work on the lodging units had to take place between about mid-April, when the roads open, though May 15, when the rooms are booked for the season. The project resumed when the lodges close on October 15 but before the roads are shut down due to snow, usually around mid-November.
Grand Canyon Cultural Resources Maintenance Plan
The South Rim at the Grand Canyon includes many structures, more than one might assume for a National Park. They include buildings that anyone can visit, such as Lookout Studio, while others such as single-family houses help support the employees that live within the park. The challenge for NPS and their concessioners is how to track the conditions and maintenance guidelines for every historic structure. This is where architects such as Page & Turnbull have been involved by creating Cultural Resource Maintenance Plans.
Page & Turnbull is currently working closely with the NPS and one concessioner to gather information on all historic structures at the South Rim. The information gathered ranges from original construction techniques—to help preserve methods of construction—to evaluations of current conditions. Together, these findings will be combined into a single database to help guide NPS and the concessioner not only on what structures should be considered historic but also when and how to perform preventive maintenance.
Cultural Resources Maintenance Plans are integral in keeping historic structures up to date for changing populations. This work at the South Rim serves as a valuable model for any parks lacking maintenance plans by offering them a way to protect their park assets for generations to come.
More Parks, More People
There are other NPS facilities that deserve attention today, including important landmarks of American history, such as the Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon, another work by Mary Colter that Page & Turnbull had the honor to help rehabilitate and preserve. Additional projects include the Presidio in San Francisco and St. Louis’ Gateway Arch and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which celebrates a reopening this year.
As the NPS continues to weather recent challenges and change, most Americans will continue to see much promise in the nation’s greatest parks. For some citizens, the parks have represented their most memorable opportunities to explore the country’s grandeur. Seeing photographs of relatives who visited the parks over many decades is a defining part of our collective memory.
Since the NPS celebrated its 100th birthday in 2016, many people including architects and other design professionals are thinking of ways to ensure the next 100 years are just as successful. With its committed employees and concessioners, along with hundreds of active volunteers and everyday people, it seems certain the NPS will continue to prevail.