The Lake Quinault Lodge is a historic hotel on the southeast shore of

Lake Quinault Lake Quinault ( or ) is a lake on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state. It is located in the glacial-carved Quinault Valley of the Quinault River, at the southern edge of Olympic National Park in the northwestern United States. One o ...

in the

Olympic National Forest Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of , it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jeffer ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, US. The hotel was built in 1926 and designed by Robert Reamer, a Seattle architect, in a rustic style reminiscent of Reamer's work at the

Old Faithful Inn The Old Faithful Inn is a hotel in the western United States with a view of the Old Faithful Geyser, located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The Inn has a multi-story log lobby, flanked by long frame wings containing guest rooms. In t ...

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

. It is a notable example of a rustic wilderness lodging, suited to its woodland environment on the southern side of the

Olympic Mountains The Olympic Mountains are a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high – Mount Olympus is the highest at ; however, the easte ...

Design and construction

The two-story wood-frame structure replaced a previous building on the site that was built by Jack Ewell. Alfred and Ransom Higley bought it from Jack Ewell the original builder in 1905. Subsequently it was taken over from them by Herbert Olson in about 1907. The Olsons sold their interest in the first hotel to the Seaman family in 1921. On August 24, 1924, the original hotel burned. Its replacement was funded by lumberman Ralph Emerson of

Hoquiam Hoquiam ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting, but Hoquiam has maintai ...

, who bought out the Seamans. The first stage was a plain -story structure which still stands as the annex, restored in 2007. It became so popular that expansion was needed, and a new, more elaborate lodge was planned. Robert Reamer was associated with the contractor, the Metropolitan Building Company, and the company's construction superintendent was Roy Garrison, who had previously worked with Reamer. Reamer had recently completed work on the Hotel Emerson in

, and had extensive experience in the design of hotels in natural settings. Work started on June 9, 1926, and was complete fifty-three days later, on August 18, 1926. Emerson sold the lodge in 1939. It closed during World War II. After the war it was operated by the Walker family. In 1988, the hotel was purchased by the Aramark corporation.Barnes, p. 90

Description

The Lake Quinault Lodge is an informal retreat, similar in nature to the Rosemary Inn and Singer's Tavern (also known as the Lake Crescent Lodge). The roughly V-shaped main lodge is centered on a lobby at the angle of the V, with a masonry fireplace as its focus, overlooking the lake. Dormers and a cupola in the steep roof emphasize the central wing. The hotel is a -story wood-frame structure clad in cedar shingles. The extremities of the wings project over sloping ground, creating a three-story facade at the ends. The walls of the upper floor project slightly outward from the ground floor, and are capped with a steeply-sloping roof housing an attic floor. Large expanses of windows face in either direction from the lobby. Two smaller -story wings extend from the reception side, framing the entrance court, with an entry porch at the end of one wing. The interior features expanses of smooth, finished timbers supporting the upper floor, which is itself finished timber. The chimney is decorated with a

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually ...

-shaped rain gauge that measures rainfall in feet. The Lake Quinault Lodge was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on July 9, 1998.

References

External links

Lake Quinault Lodge website

Lake Quinault Historical Society and Museum website
{{Authority control Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Hotel buildings completed in 1926 Buildings and structures in Grays Harbor County, Washington Robert Reamer buildings Rustic architecture in Washington (state) Olympic National Forest National Register of Historic Places in Grays Harbor County, Washington 1926 establishments in Washington (state)