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Yosemite National Park (8)
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Yosemite Village
There are a number of buildings within the park, many of them located in several villages in the Yosemite Valley area. Some have historic significance; for example, the Ansel Adams gallery where photographs and photographic materials are sold is located in the building where Ansel and his wife operated a business for many years while he resided in the park at the beginning of his career. The photograph below shows the spectacular setting of the Valley Vistor Center located in Yosemite Village. Next to the Visitor Center is the Indian Cultural Exhibit.
In the foreground the pedestrian mall area is visible. This area was formerly a parking lot, but over a couple of decades ago the lot was removed and replaced with the mall as part of an ongoing program to reduce the amount of automobile traffic in Yosemite Valley.
On a summer's day 14,000 people may be found in Yosemite Village. In fact, Yosemite has the national park system's highest rate of repeat visitation--67%.
The picture below, taken from Glacier Point, shows a portion of the developed area of the park, including roads which run through the floor of the valley. The Royal Arches can be seen in the right side of the picture. Upper and lower Yosemite Falls can be clearly seen in the upper left portion of the photograph.
This picture, also from Glacier Point, shows the eastern portion of Yosemite Valley.
The charming Yosemite Chapel dates from 1879. The interdenominational church is the oldest building which is still in use in Yosemite Valley.
The Le Conte Memorial, a small building in the valley, memorializes Professor Joseph Le Conte, a University of California geologist and respected scientist. The building was actually moved to this location, and during the summer season provides a conservation library and exhibits.
The buildings in the valley lie in the shadow of the huge cliffs which surround it.
Also located in the village area is the famous Awahnee Hotel, designed as one of the most luxurious hotels in the National Park system. Originally built in 1927, and opened on July 14 of that year, the intention was to provide very high quality lodging for wealthy and discriminating guests which National Park Service head Stephen Mather wanted to draw to the park. It has been said that he was miffed when England's Lady Astor wouldn't stay in the park because of the quality of the lodgings there.
Although the idea of a contrast between the wealth of prospective visitors and the normal visitors to the park generated some controversy, Mather hoped that upgrading lodging might generate more interest in the park and enhance park funding. The hotel was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who also designed the Zion Lodge, as well as the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge in Grand Canyon National Park. The hotel was originally built by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company at what was then a very high cost of $1 million (and well over the budget of $600,000) and replaced the ramshackle Sentinel Hotel on the site. Even today it can only be described as spectacular, one of the most memorable lodges in the National Park system.
After initial success, the hotel had a great deal of trouble during the 1930's with the Depression. Among other efforts to attract visitors, it hired photographer Ansel Adams to take pictures of the hotel and the valley in general. During World War II, the hotel was closed to visitors and was used as military convalescent center. When things finally returned to "normal", after World War II, the exclusivity for which the Awahnee was famous was long gone. However, guests are still expected to conduct themselves in a dignified and quiet manner.
The Awahnee Hotel building is 6 stories high, although it blends in beautifully with its surroundings. The hotel is a classic example of the "Rustic" architecture which has been popular in a number of national parks. Other prime examples are Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and the El Tovar Hotel in Grand Canyon National Park. This style of architecture intended to "integrate buildings unobtrusively with the environment by the use of scale appropriate to the surroundings and rough, natural materials" (Sargent, 1990), and had its basis in the British Arts & Crafts movement of the 1880's.
The dining hall seats 350 people in a room 130 feet long. There are huge fireplaces. The interior decoration was done by Drs. Phyllis Ackerman and Arthur Pope and features stained glass and an Indian motif.
From the hotel a person can see Glacier Point, Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, and the Royal Arches.
The Awahnee Hotel is famous for the Bracebridge Dinner each Christmas and New Years. This presentation dramatizes the story of a banquet at the manor of Squire Bracebridge of Yorkshire, England, based on an 1819 story by Washington Irving. The dinner was produced at one time by famous photographer and Yosemite denizen Ansel Adams.
The list of visitors to the Awahnee Hotel is impressive, and includes Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Winston Chruchill, Eleanor Roosevelt, Will Rogers, Hedda Hopper, Fred MacMurray, Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Robert Redford, Boris Karloff, Judy Garland, Clint Eastwood, Charlton Heston, Greta Garbo, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, and Haile Selassie.
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- All photographs ©Patrick Holleran, Shannon Technologies, 1994-2008
- Commercial use of the images contained in this document without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
- Comments and other remarks can be sent via e-mail to parkvision@shannontech.com
