Comfort Station No. 72 (also known as Comfort Station #4) is a historic visitor services building in

Crater Lake National Park Crater Lake National Park is an American national park located in southern Oregon. Established in 1902, Crater Lake is the fifth-oldest national park in the United States and the only national park in Oregon. The park encompasses the caldera of ...

in southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

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 territori ...

. It was built in 1930 to provide a

public toilet A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

and shower facilities for park visitors. It was constructed in the National Park Service Rustic style of architecture, and was listed 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 ...

in 1988.

Structure

The Comfort Station #4 (building 72) is located in Rim Village in Crater Lake National Park. It was built to provide public showers and restrooms for park visitors. It is located on the southwest side of the Rim Village behind the main cafeteria and gift shop.Gilbert, Cathy A. and Gretchen A. Luxenburg
"Historic Overview"
''The Rustic Landscape of Rim Village, 1927-1941'', National Park Service, Department of Interior, Seattle, Washington, 1990.Owens, Erica

, ''Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Rim Village Historic District'', Crater Lake National Park, National Park Service, Pacific West Regional Office, Seattle, Washington, 2004. The building is a one-story, wood-frame structure with native stones applied to the exterior to match the exterior of the nearby Rim Village cafeteria. Originally, an oil-burning water heater was used to heat shower water for park visitors. Today, the building remains an important part of the Rim Village landscape, despite minor alterations made to the structure when it was converted from a comfort station to an electrical transformer vault. Because it is now a utility building, it is no longer open to the public. Nevertheless, the structure retains its rustic appearance and contributes to the character of the Rim Village area. Because of its unique rustic character, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as Comfort Station No. 72 (NRHP #88002625)."Rim Village Historic District"
National Register of Historic Places, www.nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com, 12 March 2008.

History

On 22 May 1902, President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

signed the bill making Crater Lake the Nation's sixth national park. The

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

was charged with developing visitor services in the park. 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 propert ...

approved a master plan for development of Rim Village in 1927. Implementation of the plan was overseen by the National Park Service's Landscape Engineering Division. Over the next fourteen years, the infrastructure of Crater Lake National Park was developed in accordance with the park's master plan. As a result, park buildings from this era reflect a common character consistent with National Park Service's rustic design style. Comfort Station #4 was an element of the master plan. It was constructed in 1930 by National Park Service staff under the direction of Merel S. Sager, the park's landscape architect and a pioneer of the rustic style of park architecture. Today, the six main buildings in Rim Village and a number of minor structures like Comfort Station #4 still reflect the rustic design features of the original National Park Service master plan. As a result, Rim Village was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 (NRHP #97001155).

Access

Rim Village is located high in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

, above sea level. In the Rim Village area, winter lasts eight months. While access to the Rim Village is normally year-round, most of the facilities are only open during the summer months due to the heavy winter snowfall that averages 533 inches (1,354 cm) per year."Rim Village"
National Park Service, United States Department of Interior, May 2001.

References

External links

Crater Lake National ParkNational Park Service
{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Government buildings completed in 1930 National Register of Historic Places in Crater Lake National Park National Park Service rustic in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County, Oregon Restrooms in the United States 1930 establishments in Oregon