Old Faithful Inn Turns 100!

1904-2004

Thousands of gallons of boiling water, constantly building up pressure beneath the fragile ground, slowly gurgles, spews, and then finally erupts in a spectacular show to heights of over 150 feet (45m).every 90 minutes, every day, for tens of thousands of people.

Old Faithful Geyser is an icon of the National Park Service and an enduring symbol of the United States. The Old Faithful Inn - a National Historic Landmark- is just as easily recognized and loved. It is a leading example of architecture in harmony with nature.

The architect, Robert Chambers Reamer, was 29 years old when he took the inn commission, his first important building. Throughout the 2004 season, the sprawling Old Faithful Inn, the heart and soul of Yellowstone National Park, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

As one approaches Old Faithful Inn, the building's profile is its most noticeable feature. The steep pitch of the roof - jagged with gables and cedar shingles - seems to echo the silhouette of the famous Tetons to the south. Flags bedeck the precarious widows walk, as they would the summit of the Grand.

The Architecture

At seven stories, the Inn is a definite presence in an already amazing landscape filled with geologic wonders and amazing wildlife. As part of his ingenious design, Reamer off set the building ninety degrees from its famous natural attraction - Old Faithful Geyser - but allowed an unobstructed view to the visitor approaching through the porte cochere; reinforcing what the architect wanted to purvey - safe shelter for a weary traveler in an uncertain environment.

Upon entering the lobby, through the large, welcoming red doors, visitors see the massive central chimney rising up past tier after tier of lodgepole columns and the burled log brackets and railings, up to the shadowy reaches of the 92-foot-high pitched half-log ceiling.

Light filtering through dormer windows beckon visitors to look upward to the twisted beams and columns, and then travel up the hand hewn steps to explore the upper balconies. Instinct calls you to the railings to look down upon the new guests arriving. On the second floor, the visitor may discover the spacious veranda for relaxing and overlooking the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful , or perhaps come across a cozy nook for writing a letter.

The Architect

Robert C. Reamer's (1873-1938) work was first noticed in San Diego by a vacationing Harry W. Child, the cofounder of the Northern Pacific Railroad-affiliated Yellowstone Transportation Company, which was building hotels in the park to promote tourism.

According to Ruth Quinn, a tour guide at Old Faithful Inn since 1995, Child wanted a grand hotel at the Upper Geyser Basin. In the winter of 1902-03 crews had started hauling logs to the site, but Reamer had not yet been hired - there were to be eight cottages built at the site, replacing a hostelry that had burnt down in 1894.

After Child hired Reamer, his plans were approved on May 28, 1903, construction began that summer and the workmen continued through the winter of 1904. Child's company financed the construction of the original portion of Old Faithful Inn - called Old House - at a cost of approximately $140,000, with an additional $25,000 for furnishings (approximately $2.8 million and $480,700 respectively in today's money). Utilizing the unique building materials from the surrounding area undoubtedly lowered the overall cost of the project.

Quinn said that the inn was "designed to be a first class hotel, a refuge for those who expected more. It had indoor plumbing, electricity and heat, but the plumbing was down the hall." Reamer was among the first group of architects who believed that national park hotels should reflect their surroundings - other examples include Glacier Park Lodge (1913) and El Tovar at Grand Canyon National Park (1905). The original 1904 Old House structure had 140 rooms. Reamer returned to the inn in 1913 to design the East Wing, and again in 1927 for the West Wing - in all there are 327 guest rooms.

Reamer designed numerous buildings within the Park boundaries, including the Canyon Hotel, which was closed for safety concerns and then burnt in 1959, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, and took the Lake Hotel to its current grand scale in the 1920s.

Survival in the Wilderness

It is by luck and hard work crew that the inn is still here. Daily and seasonal upkeep keeps the Inn looking its best. Carpenters retouch and replace interior and exterior log pieces in the same manner as the crew in 1903-04. But the wilderness in which the Inn resides has also threatened its existence.

In August 1959, the structure was shaken by the deadly Hebgen Lake earthquake - 7.5 on the Richter scale - its epicenter to the north and west of Old Faithful. As a result, walls of the Old House were separated from the foundation and its wing additions, and damage was sustained in the dining room. The uppermost portions of the building are no longer accessible to visitors; including the charming Crows Nest where bands played to the crowds below and the lobby below when it served as a dance floor.

In September 1988, the North Fork Fire raged through the Upper Geyser Basin and imperiled the Inn. The year before, a sprinkler system had been installed on its shingled roof as part of a two-year restoration project. The sprinklers, and the incredible hard work of firefighters, saved the building.

The National Park Service decided in 2001 that the Inn would receive a birthday present in its 100th year - a complete restoration. Beginning in the autumn of 2004, there will be stabilization procedures, restorations and replacements. Most notably the floor of the lobby -weary from the feet of millions of visitors - and many other features that have been altered or removed will be restored, such as the sunken seating area surrounding the lobby fireplace original to Reamer's design.

The Celebration

On May 7, 2004, a crisp Friday morning, there was an unusual site in front of the Old Faithful Inn - a group of Yellowstone National Park Rangers on horseback leading a procession of Yellowstone Park Company carriages and buses full of special guests, including some in period dress. Hundreds of visitors lined the pathway to the Old Faithful Inn to watch the pageant and to get a look at the various modes of transportation that have been used to bring guests to the Old Faithful Inn over the last 100 years.

In 1931, when the Old Faithful Inn was only 27 years old, Bus 351 - a Model 614 fourteen-passenger vehicle - first pulled into to the porte cochere, and is in limited use today.

After the grand entry, visitors gathered in the lobby for the official 100th Anniversary Ceremony of the Old Faithful Inn.

Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis led the ceremony along with remarks by a number of distinguished speakers. Congressional members from the states in which Yellowstone lies offered greetings, such as Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi (R), ".if it (Old Faithful Inn) could talk, it would leave us spellbound for hours."

The Restoration

Paul Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife & Parks, stated that the Old Faithful Inn is a "symbol of the romance between America and its parks." He also said that President Bush is "showing TLC" for the historic structure, by addressing the maintenance backlog and providing care. What better time to officially announce the restoration of the Inn as part of Bush's National Park Legacy Project. Scheduled from 2004-2006, it is going to be a team effort including the National Park Service, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, and the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office.

According to Hoffman, aspects of the restorations include upgrading and stabilization of the building. All four chimneys in the building are to be fully restored. The building is going to meet seismic standards, since it sits in one of the most active geyser basins and earthquake regions in the world, and also an increase in the fire codes while still meeting historic architecture requirements.

Hoffman described how the financial costs of the restoration are to be covered in three phases. The first phase is $4.99 million, the second for $8.35 million - these stages have already been funded by Congress. The third segment is $9.59 million, and Bush is working with Congress to secure that portion of the funding. The final cost is going to be approximately $30 million to preserve this wonderful place for future generations. On behalf of Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, who was unable to attend the ceremony, he offered to the visitors "thanks for sharing a special day in a special place."

Suzanne Lewis, YNP Superintendent was happy to "officially open Old Faithful Inn of the first morning of its second century." Yellowstone Park school children from Gardiner , Montana led the audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to the grand old building. Lewis told the audience of approximately 1000, that they "do your nation proud by participating this morning." Birthday cake, featuring the Inn duplicated in chocolate, was served after the ceremony to the many participants.

If your summer travels take you to Yellowstone this summer, be sure to stop in the Old Faithful Inn and wish this treasure a very "Happy Birthday!"