Paradise Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Paradise Historic District comprises the historic portion of Paradise
developed area of Mount Rainier National Park
. The subalpine district surrounds its primary structure, the Paradise Inn, a rustic-style hotel built in 1917 to accommodate visitors to the park. The Paradise Inn is a National Historic Landmark
. Five other buildings are included in the district. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on March 13, 1991. It is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District
, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of Park Service-designed rustic architecture.
The Paradise area formerly included a group of 215 frame cabins built in 1930, served by the Paradise Lodge of 1931, which were open year-round. The cabins were sold in 1942 to be used to house defense workers As part of the Mission 66
program, the Paradise area was proposed as a day-use area, with the Inn to be demolished. Public pressure resulted in the preservation of the Inn and its renovation. The Paradise Lodge was intentionally burned on June 3, 1965 to make room for parking for the new Paradise Visitor Center.
style. The inn's interior features exposed log structure, with a high lobby housing handcrafted log furniture. Fourteen doors open off the lobby to the northeast, flanked by log buttresses that follow the slope of the roof to the ground, carrying the local snow loads. The Inn was designed by Heath, Grove and Bell, of Tacoma
. Twenty-eight guest rooms were in an attached wing above the dining room, with a further wing housing suites and rooms.
The Paradise Inn Annex was built in 1920, slightly downhill from and parallel to the main inn's lobby. The 3-1/2 story timber frame building is connected to the main Inn by a multi-story bridge. Designed by Seattle architect Harlan Thomas
, the version finally constructed was scaled down from the originally-proposed structure, which was to be 300 feet (91.4 m) long with a central stone pavilion and exposed log framing. The portion that was built was to have been the south wing, and construction was simplified to plain framed construction, measuring 44 feet (13.4 m) by 125 feet (38.1 m).
The Guide Service Building is a 3-1/2 story timber frame structure opposite the Paradise Inn. It was built by the Rainier National Park Company in 1920 features a distinctive gambrel roof to house mountain climbing guides. The basement contains a small auditorium and stage, while the ground floor houses offices. The upper levels are dormitory spaces.
The Paradise Ranger Station is a small 1-1/2 story building with a steeply-pitched cedar shingle roof. The ranger station was completed in 1922 to a design by the National Park Service
Landscape Engineering Division. The roof, supported on rubblestone walls, was designed to shed the heavy winter snowfall typical of the Paradise area. A system of cables anchored to the hillside resists the downhill pressure of the snow load.
The Paradise Comfort Station is a public toilet facility. It was built in 1928 to a design by the Park Service Western Region Branch of Plans and Designs, supervised by Thomas Chalmers Vint
. In contrast to the ranger station, the comfort station features a strongly built low-pitched roof built in reinforced concrete. The walls were clad in stone veneer. The roof was designed to resist a 35 feet (10.7 m) snow load weighing 35 pounds per cubic foot, for a 1225-pound-per-square-foot loading.
The Paradise Ski-Tow Powerhouse was built to house a portable ski-tow system. Paradise was a significant skiing venue during the 1930s, but the Park Service did not permit a permanent ski lift facility. The ski-tow house was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
with a steeply pitched roof similar to that of the ranger station.
Paradise, Washington
Paradise is the name of an area at approximately on the south slope of Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, United States. The area lies on the border of Pierce and Lewis counties and includes the Paradise Valley and the Paradise Glacier which is the source of the Paradise...
developed area of Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. It was one of the US's earliest National Parks, having been established on March 2, 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains...
. The subalpine district surrounds its primary structure, the Paradise Inn, a rustic-style hotel built in 1917 to accommodate visitors to the park. The Paradise Inn is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. Five other buildings are included in the district. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 13, 1991. It is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of Park Service-designed rustic architecture.
District
The Paradise area had been burned by an 1885 forest fire that left a great deal of standing timber in a "silver forest", primarily Alaska Cedar. Much of this timber was harvested to build park structures, particularly the Paradise Inn. The area's chief attractions are the wildflower meadows above the built-up area. The development of the area was undertaken by the Rainier National Park Company, which built the Paradise Inn in 1917 and added the annex in 1920, as well as the Guide House the same year. Three other buildings were built by the National Park Service.The Paradise area formerly included a group of 215 frame cabins built in 1930, served by the Paradise Lodge of 1931, which were open year-round. The cabins were sold in 1942 to be used to house defense workers As part of the Mission 66
Mission 66
Mission 66 was a US 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....
program, the Paradise area was proposed as a day-use area, with the Inn to be demolished. Public pressure resulted in the preservation of the Inn and its renovation. The Paradise Lodge was intentionally burned on June 3, 1965 to make room for parking for the new Paradise Visitor Center.
Buildings
The 1917 Paradise Inn is a large hotel with a prominent dormered roof, built in an "alpine" variant of the National Park Service RusticNational Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
style. The inn's interior features exposed log structure, with a high lobby housing handcrafted log furniture. Fourteen doors open off the lobby to the northeast, flanked by log buttresses that follow the slope of the roof to the ground, carrying the local snow loads. The Inn was designed by Heath, Grove and Bell, of Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. Twenty-eight guest rooms were in an attached wing above the dining room, with a further wing housing suites and rooms.
The Paradise Inn Annex was built in 1920, slightly downhill from and parallel to the main inn's lobby. The 3-1/2 story timber frame building is connected to the main Inn by a multi-story bridge. Designed by Seattle architect Harlan Thomas
Harlan Thomas
Harlan Thomas was a prominent Seattle architect in the first half of the twentieth century. From 1926 to the early 1940s he served as Chair of the University of Washington Department of Architecture. He was also a noted watercolorist.-Biography:Harlan Thomas was born in 1870 in Des Moines, Iowa....
, the version finally constructed was scaled down from the originally-proposed structure, which was to be 300 feet (91.4 m) long with a central stone pavilion and exposed log framing. The portion that was built was to have been the south wing, and construction was simplified to plain framed construction, measuring 44 feet (13.4 m) by 125 feet (38.1 m).
The Guide Service Building is a 3-1/2 story timber frame structure opposite the Paradise Inn. It was built by the Rainier National Park Company in 1920 features a distinctive gambrel roof to house mountain climbing guides. The basement contains a small auditorium and stage, while the ground floor houses offices. The upper levels are dormitory spaces.
The Paradise Ranger Station is a small 1-1/2 story building with a steeply-pitched cedar shingle roof. The ranger station was completed in 1922 to a design by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Landscape Engineering Division. The roof, supported on rubblestone walls, was designed to shed the heavy winter snowfall typical of the Paradise area. A system of cables anchored to the hillside resists the downhill pressure of the snow load.
The Paradise Comfort Station is a public toilet facility. It was built in 1928 to a design by the Park Service Western Region Branch of Plans and Designs, supervised by Thomas Chalmers Vint
Thomas Chalmers Vint
Thomas Chalmers Vint was a landscape architect credited for directing and shaping landscape planning and development during the early years of the United States National Park System. His work at Yosemite National Park and the development of the Mission 66 program are among his better known...
. In contrast to the ranger station, the comfort station features a strongly built low-pitched roof built in reinforced concrete. The walls were clad in stone veneer. The roof was designed to resist a 35 feet (10.7 m) snow load weighing 35 pounds per cubic foot, for a 1225-pound-per-square-foot loading.
The Paradise Ski-Tow Powerhouse was built to house a portable ski-tow system. Paradise was a significant skiing venue during the 1930s, but the Park Service did not permit a permanent ski lift facility. The ski-tow house was built in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
with a steeply pitched roof similar to that of the ranger station.
External links
- Paradise at the National Park Service