Lookout Studio, known also as The Lookout, is a stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, within Grand Canyon National Park in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is part of the Grand Canyon Village Historic District, and is part of the Mary Jane Colter Buildings National Historic Landmark. It currently operates as a

gift shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collec ...

and observation station for visitors, with

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observ ...

s on its outdoor terrace. Lookout Studio was constructed by the

Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

in 1914 and was established as a photography studio to compete with

Kolb Studio The Kolb Studio is a historic structure situated on the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon Village within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It was operated from 1904 until 1976 as the photographic studio of brothers Ell ...

. It is one of six buildings at the Grand Canyon that were designed by architect

Mary Colter Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, along with

Bright Angel Lodge Bright Angel Lodge is a hotel complex at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Designed by architect Mary Jane Colter, the lodge is a complex of cabins around a central lodge building, directly on the edge of t ...

, Hermit's Rest,

Hopi House Hopi House is located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, within Grand Canyon National Park in the U.S. state of Arizona. Built in 1904 as concessioner facilities at the South Rim were being developed, it is the first of eight projects at th ...

Phantom Ranch Phantom Ranch is a lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. It sits at the bottom of Grand Canyon, on the east side of Bright Angel Creek, a little over half a mile north of the Creek's confluence with the Colorado River. Opened in ...

, and

Desert View Watchtower Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View, is a -high stone building located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon within Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, United States. The tower is located at Desert View, ...

. Lookout Studio employs her signature rustic style of using jagged native rocks to imitate

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

structures of the region and to blend in with the environment. Lookout Studio Grand Canyon Village 09 2017 5318

The rubble stone building is at the edge of the canyon. The walls rise to an irregular parapet which incorporates the building's chimneys. Before a roof replacement the roof carried a pile of stones designed to look like they had fallen into ruin. The lookout is on three levels, with a main level housing a shop and enclosed viewing area, a lower viewing platform and a small enclosed observation tower. The wood viga roof structure remains visible, although the structure has undergone other renovations. The lookout is unusually brightly lighted for a Colter building, since its interior receives a great deal of light through its banks of large windows.

Historic designation

Lookout Studio is a component of the multi-site Mary Jane Colter Buildings National Historic Landmark, It was incorporated into the

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 ...

group on May 28, 1987.

and the Lookout Studio are also major contributing structures in the Grand Canyon Village National Historic Landmark District.

References

External links

National Park Service historic photos of Lookout Studio

''Architecture in the Parks'' {{NRHP in Arizona by county Buildings and structures in Grand Canyon National Park Mary Colter buildings Grand Canyon Rustic architecture in Arizona American Craftsman architecture in Arizona Arts and Crafts architecture in the United States Pueblo Revival architecture in Arizona Park buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona National Historic Landmarks in Arizona Buildings and structures in Coconino County, Arizona Buildings and structures completed in 1914 1914 establishments in Arizona