Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Grand Canyon National Park

Regions 6, 7, & 8 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

Inventory Unit Description: The Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District is located on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Coconino County in northern Arizona. Sited at approximately 8,000 feet in elevation and located at the southernmost tip of the Bright Angel Peninsula as it juts out into the Grand Canyon, the views, buildings, and activities offered within the Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District draw visitors to the North Rim. The district features are clustered densely on the narrowing spine of the Peninsula, where the ground remains relatively level or gradual in slope. The west, south, and east sides of the district open toward the canyon, offering panoramic views. The expanded 90-acre district includes the Grand Canyon Lodge main building and associated south-facing terraces, deluxe cabins, standard cabins, two motel buildings, parking areas, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, small-scale features, views and vistas, and vegetation. As with other areas on the North Rim, the Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District was shaped by the NPS Rustic Style design aesthetic. The NPS Rustic Style, which was the predominant landscape architectural and architectural design style of the era, emphasized harmonizing built objects with the natural landscape. The district also bears the mark of an extraordinary period in our nation’s history, the Great Depression and the Era of Public Works. In 1935 Civilian Conservation Corps crews conducted grading operations for a new parking area at the Grand Canyon Lodge. These crews installed log guardrails to protect islands of trees that were part of the design for this lot. CCC crews also built other improvements in the area. Today, the Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District is considered one of the most intact rustic hotel developments in the national parks from the era when railroads fostered construction of “destination resorts.” It is eligible under Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance. Under Criterion A, the district is significant in the areas of landscape architecture, community planning and development, architecture, recreation/entertainment, and conservation. Under Criterion C, the district is significant in its association with architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, an architect characterized as one of the shapers of the standards known as the “Rustic” style of park design. The period of significance spans from 1927 through 1942, from the initial construction of the cabins and main lodge building, through the completion of improvement projects by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Integrity to the 1927 through 1942 period of significance remains high; however, the overall condition of the area is fair.

Grand Canyon Lodge Historic District: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Grand Canyon National Park

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