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Photo, Print, Drawing Ahwahnee Hotel, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa County, CA Yosemite National Park Yosemite Valley Historic District

[ Data Pages from Survey HABS CA-2830  ]

More Resources

[ Photo Captions from Survey HABS CA-2830  ]

About this Item

Title

  • Ahwahnee Hotel, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa County, CA

Other Title

  • Yosemite National Park Yosemite Valley Historic District

Names

  • Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
  • Underwood, Gilbert Stanley
  • Ackerman, Phyllis
  • Pope, Arthur Upham
  • Mather, Stephen T.
  • Yosemite Park and Curry Company (YP&C Co.)
  • Simpson, Dorothy Wood
  • Spencer, Jeannette Dyer
  • Spencer, Eldridge (Ted) Ballard
  • Tresidder, Donald
  • Howard, Robert Boardman
  • Howard, Henry Temple
  • Born, Ernest
  • Roller, Milton
  • Olmsted, Frederick Law, Jr.
  • Adams, Ansel
  • Widforss, Gunnar
  • Kat, Willem (Bill)
  • Tresidder, Mary Curry
  • U.S. Department of the Navy
  • Shasta Telecasting Corporation
  • U.S. Natural Resources
  • Music Corporation of America
  • Matsushita Electrical Industrial Company
  • National Park Foundation
  • James L. McLaughlin Company
  • Phoenix Day Company
  • Stedman Rubber Flooring Company
  • Dohrmann Hotel Supply Company
  • Central Iron Works, Inc.
  • Reynolds, Frann Spencer
  • Lewis, W. B.
  • Knudsen, Vern
  • Holme, Garnet
  • Spencer & Spencer
  • Hedahl-Martin General Contractors
  • Vantress, Marian
  • Hull, Daniel
  • Vint, Thomas C.
  • Purdy, Carl
  • Schafer, Stephen D., photographer
  • Kozub, Lindsay, historian
  • Park, Adela, historian
  • Harlan, Gabrielle, project manager
  • Yosemite National Park, sponsor
  • McPartland, Mary, transmitter

Created / Published

  • Documentation compiled after 1933

Headings

  • -  recreation
  • -  national parks & reserves
  • -  Arts & Crafts movement
  • -  fire-resistive construction
  • -  stonework (granite)
  • -  concrete
  • -  steel structural frames
  • -  log trusses
  • -  soundproofing
  • -  stained glass
  • -  murals
  • -  mosaics
  • -  chandeliers
  • -  porte cocheres
  • -  landscapes
  • -  military hospitals
  • -  roofing slate
  • -  plaster walls
  • -  peeled logs
  • -  picture windows
  • -  stencils (images)
  • -  fireplaces
  • -  pianos
  • -  gardens
  • -  ponds
  • -  solariums
  • -  dining halls
  • -  chimneys
  • -  swimming pools
  • -  World Heritage sites
  • -  California--Mariposa County--Yosemite Village

Latitude / Longitude

  • 37.746268,-119.57432872989997

Notes

  • -  Significance: The Ahwahnee Hotel is a significant example of monumental rustic architecture and is one of the most recognized and iconic grand lodges in the National Park system. Situated at the edge of a spacious meadow at the foot of the Royal Arches formation at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley, the Ahwahnee Hotel's massive, seven-story form is dwarfed by the granite cliffs that surround the hotel. Combining native rough-cut granite with acid-stained concrete that was designed to resemble wood, the Ahwahnee was designed both to blend with the surrounding environment and also to be a fireproof luxury hotel to attract wealthy visitors to Yosemite National Park. Constructed in 1926-27, the hotel was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood in a style that would later become known as the Rustic Style. The Ahwahnee's interior spaces are no less striking than its exteriors, as the eclectic design scheme developed by interior designers Phyllis Ackerman and Arthur Upham Pope included unique period artwork executed throughout the interiors. Drawing upon both Art Deco and Arts & Crafts styles, the hotel's interior design was inspired by the geometric designs of California Indian baskets, yet combined decor and furnishings from all over the world. In addition to its architectural significance, the Ahwahnee is also significant for its association with the development of Yosemite and the National Park Service, as the hotel was conceived and promoted by Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the NPS. The hotel was constructed during the growth of automobile touring and the rise in popularity of national parks during the 1920s, and was also developed within the context of tourism and resort hotel development in California. The hotel is also significant as a hostelry that has hosted numerous dignitaries, celebrities, artists, and political figures throughout its history. The Ahwahnee was the last of the "grand lodges" to be constructed within the national parks, and its significance and character-defining features are still prominent today.
  • -  Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2156
  • -  Survey number: HABS CA-2830
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1926-1927 Initial Construction
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1928-1932 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1971 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1934 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1987 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1943 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1951 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1959-1965 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1977-1980 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 1977-1980 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: 2005 Subsequent Work
  • -  Building/structure dates: ca. 1990 Subsequent Work
  • -  National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 77000149, 04001159

Medium

  • Photo(s): 85
  • Data Page(s): 143
  • Photo Caption Page(s): 8

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HABS CA-2830

Source Collection

  • Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)

Repository

Control Number

  • ca3701

Rights Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Format

Contributor

Location

Language

Subject

Rights & Access

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  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. https://aj.sunback.homes/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
  • Reproduction Number: ---
  • Call Number: HABS CA-2830
  • Access Advisory: ---

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, Gilbert Stanley Underwood, Phyllis Ackerman, Arthur Upham Pope, Stephen T Mather, Yosemite Park And Curry Company, Dorothy Wood Simpson, et al., Schafer, Stephen D, photographer. Ahwahnee Hotel, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa County, CA. Yosemite Village California Mariposa County, 1933. translateds by Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/ca3701/.

APA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, C., Underwood, G. S., Ackerman, P., Pope, A. U., Mather, S. T., Yosemite Park And Curry Company [...] Yosemite National Park, S., Schafer, S. D., photographer. (1933) Ahwahnee Hotel, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa County, CA. Yosemite Village California Mariposa County, 1933. McPartland, M., trans Documentation Compiled After. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/ca3701/.

MLA citation style:

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator, et al., photographer by Schafer, Stephen D. Ahwahnee Hotel, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Village, Mariposa County, CA. trans by Mcpartland, Marymitter Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/ca3701/>.