NoeHill Travels in the American West: Oregon - National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County - Rim Village Historic District

Situated on the southern edge of a caldera partly filled by Crater Lake, the district averages 7,100 feet in elevation and is primarily linear, in that it closely follows the rim for just under one half mile.

Rim Village is centered around a paved road which runs east from a junction with the West Rim Drive to its terminus in front of Crater Lake Lodge. The associated landscape is a mixture of highly designed and developed areas, along with less disturbed indigenous forest consisting of Mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and Shasta red fir (Abiesmagnified var. shastensis). Naturalistic in appearance, the district's structures and landscape features clearly reflect National Park Service master plans of the 1930s which emphasized overall visual consistency and subordination to the surroundings.

Extensive use of stone masonry is a unifying characteristic within Rim Village, much as it is in the Munson Valley Historic District, but historic plantings consisting of native vegetation and defined circulation systems are more extensive.

In functional terms, Rim Village remains the focal point for visitor services at Crater Lake National Park. Food service, hiking trails, interpretive programs, strolling on the promenade, and enjoying views of the lake provide visitors with both passive and active opportunities for education and recreation. No other site in the park provides such a diversity of uses in one place.

Wikipedia: Rim Village Historic District

Rim Village is the main area for tourist services in Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon, United States. It is located on the southwest rim of the caldera overlooking Crater Lake. The National Park Service designed Rim Village to concentrate park services at a location that provided easy access to rim trails and view points. Because of the unique rustic architecture of the Rim Village structures and the surrounding park landscape, the area was listed as Rim Village Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

In 1905, William Gladstone Steel brought professional photographer Frederick H. Kiser to Crater Lake. Many of the early photographs of the park are Kiser's work. In 1907, Steel established the Crater Lake Company to run "Camp Crater" which provided park visitors with basic services.

Crater Lake Lodge was the first major building constructed in the area that is now Rim Village. It was begun in 1909 by the Crater Lake Company. The lodge was located close to the edge of the rim to ensure visitors had a spectacular view of the lake and the surrounding caldera. Because of the remote location and short construction season, the lodge was not finished until 1915.

The National Park Service was established in 1916. This was an important step toward creating long-term development plans for National Parks like Crater Lake. In addition to establishing the National Park Service, the United States Congress began appropriating funds for various park projects. However, the United States' entry into World War I slowed development of the park's infrastructure.

After the war, the Army Corps of Engineers built several hiking trails radiating out from the lodge area. This allowed park visitors to make day-trip to Watchman Peak on the west rim and Garfield Peak on the south rim, and return to the lodge by evening.[3] In 1921, Fred Kiser was given permission to construct a stone building near the edge of the rim where he could sell his hand colored photographs of Crater Lake. By 1924, a number of amenities were available in the "Village" area. These included the lodge, a public campground, Kiser's studio, a park community center for special programs, and public comfort stations.

Village development

By 1927, the area around the lodge was called "Rim Village" by both visitors and park staff. The National Park Service approved a master plan for development of Rim Village in 1927, and Congress provided funds to begin implementing the plan. The development program was overseen by the National Park Service's Landscape Engineering Division, headed by Thomas C. Vint. Over the next fourteen years, Crater Lake's infrastructure was developed in accordance with the park's master plan. As a result, park buildings from this era reflect a common character consistent with National Park Service's rustic design style.

Rim Village was developed in two phases. The first phase, between 1927 and 1932, included road improvements, new rustic style buildings, a paved strolling path along the rim, and careful landscape plantings. Housekeeping cabins, a general store, a cafeteria, and the Sinnott Memorial Observation Station were all built during this period. These upgrades were accomplished by National Park Service staff and contract labor. The second phase of development, between 1933 and 1941, was accomplished with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps. During this time, there were two Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the park, with more than four hundred men. The Civilian Conservation Corps worked on facility construction projects, did landscape work, improved existing roads, built new trails, and performed general maintenance throughout the park. Their work on the heavily used Rim Village campground was particularly important. For the first time, the campground was organized around a formal internal circulation plan that controlled the flow of people and automobiles within the campground. In addition, individual camp sites were marked and rustic-style picnic tables, benches, and fireplaces were built. This significantly reduced the impact of visitors on the campground's natural environment.

Development at Rim Village was curtailed during World War II. Maintenance became the primary concern of the park staff, as Civilian Conservation Corps manpower disappeared with the onset of the war. This began a period of decline in Rim Village.

In 1955, the National Park Service implemented a new program to restore park facilities throughout the nation. The program's main thrust was to standardize national park facilities across the country. In Rim Village, some rustic features were replaced or covered over in the effort to modernize park facilities and original landscape elements were altered or removed. Later the Rim Village campground was removed entirely and the site converted into a day-use picnic area. The rustic tables and fireplaces were replaced with more contemporary models.

Despite the changes, the design features of the original master plan still dominate Rim Village. The main buildings, general landscape, pathways, and rim trails remain consistent with the original design. As a result, Rim Village was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 (NRHP #97001155).

Roads and pathways

Today, the Rim Village roads and pathways still follow the original design. Rim Village has approximately one-half mile of roadway plus several parking areas. The historic district also has over 1,450 feet (442 m) of stone walls and rustic stone masonry observation points that were constructed as part of the original Rim Village master plan.

Pathways are located throughout Rim Village to provide pedestrian access to the rim viewing areas, buildings and parking lots. The main pedestrian paths have not changed from the original Rim Village design. The most important path is the "Rim Promenade" constructed between 1928 and 1932. It follows the crater rim approximately 2,500 feet (762 m) from the Garfield Peak trailhead east of Crater Lake Lodge to a point at the west end of Rim Village. View points along the Promenade provide excellent vistas of Crater Lake's blue water, Wizard Island, and the 1,000-foot (300 m) high caldera walls that surround the lake. Various spur pathways provide access to the Crater Lake Lodge, Sinnott Memorial, Rim Village Plaza, and parking areas.

Structures

There are six primary buildings in the Rim Village Historic District. Five of them are original structures; however, all six reflect the rustic style of architecture which is the common design theme that makes the Rim Village historically unique.

The Community House was built in 1924. It was used for park programs until 1989. The National Park Service considered demolishing the building, but decided to renovate it instead. It was returned to its historic use in 2001.

"Crater Lake Lodge is located at the east end of Rim Village. It was built by a private developer between 1909 and 1915. The lodge was expanded in 1922. The National Park Service acquired the lodge in 1967. It was completely reconstructed in 1991. Today, guests enjoy modern accommodations in an atmosphere reminiscent of the 1920s. The lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 (NRHP #81000096)."

NoeHill Travels in the American West: Oregon - National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County - Crater Lake Lodge

Crater Lake Lodge was completed in 1924. The exterior appearance and ground floor public areas have not been greatly altered since then.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many American tourists were going to European resorts. National Parks were a new concept intended to develop pride in the unique scenic wonders of the United States. Many parks included buildings similar to Swiss chalets. Why should a traveler go abroad for an atmosphere that could be enjoyed by staying in one of the rustic lodges of a national park? The scenery was certainly as spectacular as any Europe had to offer.

Crater Lake Lodge used rustic architectural elements to appeal to the romanticism of the tourist. Rubble stone masonry, unpeeled logs, large stone fireplaces and heavy timber framing created an atmosphere similar to a European hunting lodge. The steeply pitched shingled roofs with shed dormers, quite functional in heavy snow, were also reminiscent of the rustic qualities in European resorts and those in such areas as the Adirondack Park of New York.

As a counterpoint to the public spaces, the guest rooms seemed of secondary value; the early management of the lodge didn't provide first class accommodations. When Stephen Mather, first director of the National Park Service, visited the lodge in 1919, he was very upset at the standard accommodations. The rooms were very small, most of them without bathrooms.

"The Kiser Studio was constructed in 1921. It was originally a private studio where photographer Fred Kiser displayed and sold park photographs, painting, and postcards. The National Park Service took over the building in 1929 to use as an exhibit hall. Today, it is the park's summer visitor center."

"The park's public Cafeteria and Gift Shop was built in 1928. The cafeteria was renovated in 1956 and 1970. In 2007, the original cafeteria was torn down and replaced with a modern dining facility designed in the rustic style so it remains consistent with the character of the historic districts."

"The Sinnott Memorial Observation Station was built into the caldera cliff overlooking the lake. The structure was designed by landscape architect Merel S. Sager, a pioneer of the rustic style of park architecture. The building includes a small natural history museum with exhibits that highlight the geologic history of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake. The building was officially dedicated on 16 July 1931 as the Nicholas J. Sinnott Memorial Observation Station and Museum. The Sinnott Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 (NRHP #88002623)."

"The Plaza Comfort Station (building 68) was built in 1938 to provide public showers, restrooms, and general services to park visitors. It is located on the east side of the Rim Village plaza area. The building is a one-story, wood-frame structure with heavy native stone applied to the exterior. The Plaza Comfort Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as Comfort Station No. 68 (NRHP #88002624)."

"In addition to the six main buildings there are several secondary buildings in the Rim Village Historic District. Significant among these minor buildings is Comfort Station #4 (building 72). It is an original building constructed in the early 1930s. This building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 as Comfort Station No. 72 (NRHP #88002625). The building remains an important part of the Rim Village landscape, despite minor alterations made to the structure when it was converted from a comfort station to an electrical transformer vault."

"Designed by the Landscape Division of the National Park Service and built during the era when the NPS was producing a distinctive rustic style architecture, this comfort is typical in form, materials and detailing of the NPS rustic style. It is one of four extant comfort stations of this style in Crater Lake National Park."

Links

HAER: Crater Lake National Park Roads, Klamath Falls, Klamath County, OR

http://loc.gov/pictures/item/or0474

Owens, Erica, "Statement of Significance", Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Rim Village Historic District, Crater Lake National Park, National Park Service, Pacific West Regional Office, Seattle, Washington, 2004. (PDF)

http://npshistory.com/publications/crla/cli-rim-village.pdf

NoeHill Travels in the American West: Oregon - National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County - Rim Village Historic District

https://noehill.com/or_klamath/nat1997001155.asp

NoeHill Travels in the American West: Oregon - National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County - Crater Lake Lodge

https://noehill.com/or_klamath/nat1981000096.asp

NoeHill Travels in the American West: Oregon - National Register of Historic Places in Klamath County - Comfort Station No. 72, Rim Village Campground

https://noehill.com/or_klamath/nat1988002625.asp

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