The Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District is a historic district in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. It comprises the

Lake McDonald Lodge The Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic lodge located within Glacier National Park, on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald. The lodge is a -story structure built in 1913 based on Kirtland Cutter's design. The foundation and first floor walls are ...

and surrounding structures on the shores of

Lake McDonald Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. It is located at in Flathead County in the U.S. state of Montana. Lake McDonald is approximately 10 miles (16 km) long, and over a mile (1.6 km) wide and 472 feet (130 m) ...

. It is centered on the main lodge, which was designated 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, as well as surrounding guest cabins, dormitory buildings, employee residences, utility buildings, and retail structures. The district includes several privately owned inholding structures that are contributing structures, as well as a number of non-contributing buildings.

Features

The Lake McDonald Lodge was built in 1913-1914 by John Lewis as the Lewis Glacier Hotel to replace an earlier structure, the Snyder Hotel. The prominent site on the lakeshore was developed as the major tourist accommodation on the west side of the park. In addition to the rustic Swiss-chalet-styled lodge building, there are a number of structures built during the early 20th century, including eleven log cabins built in 1907 near the lodge and two more built in 1918. Other buildings in the historic district include the Garden Court, a two-story frame dormitory built in 1927. The two-story frame Cobb House dormitory features rustic interior detailing and a stone fireplace. The log Snyder Hall was built in 1911 as an assembly hall and was converted to a dormitory. The log Soda Fountain, built in 1927, became a recreation hall for employees. Other buildings include the 1909 frame barbershop, a 1922 log caretaker's residence, and a 1922 frame lumber shed. The 1935 McDonald Cabin is a former private residence, built in rustic log construction. The General Store is a chalet-style structure near the main road, built about 1937. The district also includes a 1934 stone bridge over Snyder Creek and six log private residences.

Mission 66

The

Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee Shop The Lake McDonald Lodge Coffee Shop is a visitor services building in the Lake McDonald district of Glacier National Park, Montana. The coffee shop was built in 1965 as part of the National Park Service's Mission 66 program to upgrade visitor fa ...

was originally excluded from the list of contributing structures as a modern intrusion. It has since been listed on its own 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 v ...

as an outstanding example of

Mission 66 Mission 66 was a United States National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service. When the National P ...

-era design. Several other structures, including a motel unit, gas station and dormitories continue to be regarded as non-contributing to the historic district.

Historic designation

The Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1978, primarily titled as the Lewis Glacier Hotel.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Great Northern Railway (U.S.) hotels Hotels in Montana Rustic architecture in Montana Kirtland Cutter buildings Tourist attractions in Flathead County, Montana Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana National Register of Historic Places in Flathead County, Montana National Register of Historic Places in Glacier National Park Swiss Chalet Revival architecture