South Entrance Station: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service

Historical Research Associates, Inc.

The south entrance station consists of a small cluster of four historic buildings located at the 'T'-shaped intersection of the Wawona Road and Hwy 41. The district is located within the boundary of Yosemite National Park, in Mariposa County, California. The site is in clearing of about 2 acres; the steep slopes surrounding the buildings are densely timbered. Associated land uses include a housing area for National Park Service personnel, a checking station for visitors entering and leaving the park, and a service area. The housing area is located on the north side of the Wawona Road, while the checking station and service area straddle the road junction. This station is the principal entry point for people entering the park from the south. With the exception of the two modern checking kiosks, the buildings at the south entrance were all built in the same time period, in a similar style, and possess a common association with development of the park's south entrance area. They represent a unique style of "rustic" architecture that was refined in the national parks during the early years of the National Park Service. The rustic style of architecture represented by the buildings at the south entrance has its roots in the landscape design of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the tenants of which was the creation of naturalistic buildings and structures that blended with the natural environment. Even prior to its establishment in 1916, the formers of the National Park Service discussed the important role that landscape architects would play in developing park lands. Early on, the service recognized the need to create buildings and structures that blended with, rather than overpowered the natural landscape. The park service employed landscape architects and "landscape engineers" to select building sites, and design buildings that matched the natural surroundings. This subordination of a building to its environment was achieved by using local materials, by screening the buildings from view with native vegetation, by blending building colors with the natural surroundings, and by scaling the building size to that of the landscape. The buildings at the south entrance, with their low, horizontal lines and native materials, are good examples of the park service rustic style. For visitors entering Yosemite National Park from Highway 41, the south entrance continues to provide access to the park and its resources, provide services for park visitors, and housing for park service employees stationed in the Wawona District.

South Entrance Station: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Yosemite National Park, National Park Service

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