Historic Structure Report: Parsons Memorial Lodge

Architectural Resources Group, Inc.

Architectural Resources Group (ARG) has prepared the Parsons Memorial Lodge Historic Structure Report (HSR) to serve as a guide for ongoing maintenance and preservation of the lodge. Parsons Memorial Lodge was constructed in 1915 as a public information center and reading room and as the High Sierra summer headquarters of the Sierra Club. The lodge was designed by noted Bay Area architect Bernard Maybeck. Mark White, Maybeck’s brother‐in‐law and assistant, and member of the Sierra Club, supervised the construction. Walter L. Huber was the builder and structural engineer. The lodge features characteristics of the First Bay Tradition, an architectural mode Maybeck highly influenced. It was also an important precursor of the development of the Rustic style in Yosemite and other national parks. In 1912, the Sierra Club acquired 160 acres at Soda Springs, in Tuolumne Meadows, in order to protect the land from future development. After the death of Edward Taylor Parsons (1914), a successful businessman, Sierra Club director, and Outing Committee member, the Sierra Club decided to erect a lodge at Soda Springs in his memory. By the mid‐1960s, the Sierra Club found it increasingly difficult to manage the Soda Springs property. The number of campers and visitors to the site had increased significantly after World War II, and the Sierra Club did not have the resources to maintain it. In 1973, the Sierra Club sold the lodge and surrounding acreage to the National Park Service (NPS) for $208,000. In 1977, the non‐profit Yosemite Natural History Association (now the Yosemite Conservancy) came to an agreement with the NPS to help operate the lodge. In 1979, the lodge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1987, it was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. In addition to its continued use as an information center, reading room, and meeting place, the lodge currently serves as a venue for evening programs and lectures during the summer. Parsons Memorial Lodge is in good condition overall and no major issues were identified during this study. Specific locations of minor deterioration or damage are described in the Condition Assessment portion of this report. Preservation is recommended as the overall treatment approach for Parsons Memorial Lodge. In recognition of its status as a National Historic Landmark, it is essential that all future work is carried out in accordance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings. Continuation of the use of the building as a public information center and reading room is recommended. The scope of work recommended for preservation of Parsons Memorial Lodge includes only minor repairs at existing materials. Further study is also recommended for evaluation of seismic performance and improvement of accessibility to the building.

Historic Structure Report: Parsons Memorial Lodge

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