Paradise Inn is a historic hotel built in 1916 at on the south slope of

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

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United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The inn is named after

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

, the area of the mountain in which it is located. The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and the 1920 Paradise Guide House are also at this location. The inn and guide house are where many climbers start their ascent of the mountain. The inn is listed in 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 v ...

and is a major component of the Paradise Historic District. Additionally, it is part of the Mount Rainier

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of

National Park Service rustic National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings ...

architecture.

History

The inn was designed by Frederick Heath of Heath, Gove & Bell in 1915.Pacific Northwest: Paradise Inn
Great Lodges of the National Parks PBS It was initially planned to be built at Longmire. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

moved the planned location to Paradise when the original financier, John Reese, backed away from the project. The inn was built by the Rainier National Park Company, founded by Steven T. Mather, assistant to the

Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...

. Native building materials were used including cedar shingles, native rock and weathered timbers salvaged from a fire in 1885. After 30 years of aging the timbers had developed a silver sheen. The original plan called for a red roof but the Park Service vetoed this in favor of a green roof which blended in with the natural environment. This is in keeping with the

National Park Service Rustic National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings ...

style of architecture. The inn opened on July 1, 1917 and cost between $90,000 and $100,000. The lodge is built with exposed cedar logs that provide its structural framework. It includes

French door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

s in 14 bays to "allow summer breezes to enter" and

dormer window A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable spac ...

s for natural lighting to enter on the second story, "augmented by hanging lamps". In 1920 a four-story Paradise Annex was added. It was designed by RNPC architect

Harlan Thomas Harlan Thomas (January 10, 1870 – September 4, 1953) was an American architect in the first half of the twentieth century. From 1926 to the early 1940s he served as Chair of the University of Washington Department of Architecture. He was al ...

and contained 100 rooms (85 with private baths). In 1931 a golf course was designed by Roy H. Dobell and built at the lodge and in 1936 a ski rope tow was installed. In 1942 to 1943 the US Army used the inn to house troops training for winter mountain conditions. The extreme elements took their toll on the inn. In 1952 the Rainier National Park Company sold the inn to the National Park Service who contracted with concessionaires to operate the inn. The Park Service considered demolishing the inn but relented after a public outcry. US$1.75 million was spent in 1979 to strengthen and restore the building. The building was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1987. and

Architecture

The original building is two stories tall. Two rooms, the great hall and the dining room take up most of the ground floor. A three-story section on the building's east side makes the building a T-shape and contains additional guest rooms. The great hall is 50 by 112 feet (15 m by 34 m) and has a wrap-around mezzanine level. There are 4-by-6 foot (1.2 m by 1.8 m) stone fireplaces at both ends of the room. The mezzanine level was added in 1925. The dining room is 51 by 105 feet (15.5 m by 32 m) and has a 50 feet (15 m) high stone fireplace. The original guest rooms are above the dining room and are only 8 by 8 feet (2.4 m by 2.4 m). Each one fits between a set of rafters which support the roof. Hans Fraehnke, a German-born carpenter created furniture from local materials for the inn including two 1,500 pound (680 kg) tables, a 14 feet (4 m) tall

grandfather clock A grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather's clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the tower or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are common ...

and a rustic piano which President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

played on during a visit to the inn in 1945. More tables and chairs are from the Old Hickory Company of Indiana.

Two Year Closure

The inn was closed in 2006 for two years to perform renovations and structural work to allow the inn to withstand a large earthquake. This was done as part of a US$30 million project which also included the groundbreaking for a new visitor center at Paradise. The inn reopened in May 2008.

Gallery

File:Paradise Inn in Black and White.jpg File:Paradise Inn mezzanine table - Mount Rainier Washington.jpg File:Paradise Inn - Mount Rainier NP Washington.jpg File:Paradise Inn.jpg File:Paradise Lodge, Mount Rainier.jpg, Paradise Inn at Mount Rainier

References

External links

Architecture in the Parks: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study: Paradise Inn, by Laura Soullière Harrison, 1986
at National Park Service.

- Paradise area of the National Park from the National Park Service.

- at National Park Lodge Architecture Society website.

- Construction at the inn and the Jackson Visitor Center.
Welcome to Mt. Rainier National Park
- website of Guest Services, Inc., the concessionaire who runs the inn. * {{National Register of Historic Places in Washington Hotels in Washington (state) Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Historic Landmarks in Washington (state) Residential buildings completed in 1916 National Park Service rustic in Washington (state) Buildings and structures in Mount Rainier National Park Frederick Heath buildings Buildings and structures in Pierce County, Washington Tourist attractions in Pierce County, Washington Historic American Buildings Survey in Washington (state) Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Mount Rainier National Park 1916 establishments in Washington (state)