Securing the Ahwahnee: Seismic Rehabilitation of Yosemite's Landmark Hotel

Scaffolding on the Ahwahnee. NPS photo.

The Ahwahnee, a grand rustic lodge built in 1926–1927 in Yosemite National Park, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most significant park hotels in the country. Its architecture, setting and views are symbols of a Yosemite visit for millions of people every year.

The hotel

Stephen T. Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service, conceived it as a grand hotel for Yosemite. It is significant for its site, setting, materials, craftsmanship and design and artistic quality of the highest order.

• Opened in 1927, with guest rooms, a dining room, a bar and grand public spaces.
• Grounds: the hotel grounds, guest cottages and an employee dormitory.
• Building: steel frame, wood and stone masonry; about 40,000 square feet on the ground floor and about 150,000 in all, on a multi-level Y-shaped plan.
• Use: the 99 hotel rooms and the cottages are open all year, serving about 100,000 overnight guests a year; about 300,000 more shop or dine there or use the lounges, meeting rooms and grounds.

Demolishing the kitchen floor. NPS photo.

The plan

Yosemite lies within several seismic fault zones, so its buildings need constant attention. The NPS's Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan is a phased, long-term programme of repairs and upgrades to bring the hotel and its cottages up to current codes and seismic-safety and accessibility standards. This phase uses $31.606 million from the Great American Outdoors Act and focuses on:

• the kitchen;
• the dining room;
• the Great Lounge;
• exit routes;
• the chimneys.

Foundation work in the kitchen. NPS photo.

Other, non-seismic work covers parts of the building's water, wastewater, electrical and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems; kitchen rehabilitation; fire separation, fireproofing, insulation and waterproofing; and repair of exterior woodwork, ground-floor windows and the stamped paving of the ground-floor terraces.

Installing seismic foundations. NPS photo.

What it will achieve

The seismic retrofit will help the hotel withstand major earthquakes, protect the historic fabric of the landmark, and reduce repair costs after minor ones. It makes the building safer for guests, visitors and the concessioner's staff. The project will also:

• improve fire safety for kitchen staff;
• upgrade heating, ventilation and air conditioning in the dining room, for visitors' comfort;
• clear more than $18 million of deferred maintenance;
• modernise the concessioner's critical infrastructure.

Sources

• National Park Service, "Securing Tomorrow: Transforming the Ahwahnee Hotel for Generations." https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/securing-tomorrow-transforming-the-ahwahnee-hotel-for-generations.htm
• The original gives both "eight guest cottages" and "24 cottages"; this page does not state a number.
• Rewritten in hubnx's own words.