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The Rustic
Landscape of Rim Village, 1927-1941
Typology
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Structures
Buildings
Between 1927 and 1941 there were six primary buildings at Rim Village and
between twenty-two and thirty-four secondary structures including comfort
stations, sleeping cabins, tent cabins, and service-related buildings. Three of
the six primary buildings -- the Crater Lake Lodge, the Kiser Studio, and the
Community House -- were all constructed prior to 1927 by the concessioner and
the NPS. The Cafeteria (1928), the Sinnott Memorial (1931), and the comfort
station next to the plaza (1938) were developed under the supervision of NPS
designers and represent better examples of the Rustic style as applied at Rim
Village. All six primary buildings are described below, followed by a discussion
of secondary structures, some of which are no longer extant.
| Crater Lake Lodge
|
Construction of Crater Lake Lodge began in 1909, on a slope at the
east end of Rim Village overlooking the lake. As designed, it was the
primary facility on the rim to provide accommodations and meals for park
visitors. Construction was slow, however, and despite its unfinished
state, the lodge formally opened to the public in 1915. In 1922, an
addition was built on the west end of the building, nearly doubling its
size. For the most part, the new annex closely followed the design and
material composition of the original structure. The Crater Lake Lodge is
irregular in shape, comprised of a series of 6 rectangular blocks,
connected to form a slight crescent shape. The roof is punctuated by
numerous shed roof dormers giving visual interest to the wood shingled
jerkin-head roofline. Native stone faces the lower portion of the lodge
and wood shingles sheath the upper walls. Further visual interest is
supplied by the massive exterior stone chimneys on the east and south;
overhanging, bracketed eaves; numerous arched windows with stone lintels
on the lower story; and multi-paned windows. Exterior alterations to the
historic lodge since 1922 have been minimal. The addition of fire
escapes and the enclosure of the main entry (from paired doors to one
door) are the primary changes. |
| Sinnott Memorial
|
The Sinnott Memorial was constructed in 1931 under the supervision
of the NPS Landscape Division. Built as a memorial to an Oregon
congressman, it functioned as an interpretive center and exhibit
building, an educational center, and an observation point for park
visitors. It was the first structure in the park to use massive stone
masonry construction, and was considered an excellent example of the
Rustic style of design, setting the tone for all future structures built
in the park. The Sinnott Memorial is an irregularly-shaped stone and
concrete structure built into a rock outcrop on the slope of the caldera
about 50 feet below the rim. Access to the building is via a moderately
steep walkway with steps. The building is entered through an
elliptically-shaped "observation room" on the north side of the
structure. A 30-inch tall stone parapet below a large opening offers
unobstructed views to the lake. The original asphalt-treated flat roof
was rebuilt in the 1930s with heavy asphalt and lead flashing to stop
leaking. Exterior walls are load-bearing native stone, pierced on the
east side by a square window opening and a door leading from the museum
to the exterior stairs (shielded from view by a massive stone wall).
Double-glazed, tongue-and-groove doors are located on the west end of
the observation room. Alterations to the Sinnott Memorial have not
compromised its rustic character. The most noticeable change was the
addition of flagstone paving to the interior (and probably the exterior
entry patio) in 1961. |
| Plaza Comfort Station
|
This small comfort station was constructed under the guidance of an
NPS landscape architect using CCC crews. Begun in 1937 and finished the
following year, this structure was the last Rustic style building
constructed at Rim Village. Sited against the forest edge at the east
end of the cafeteria plaza, the building is a one-story, rectangular,
wood-frame structure with massive native stones applied to the exterior.
Horizontal wood siding is used above the stonework on the gable ends of
the building. The wood-shake gable roof has extended eaves and exposed
rafter ends. Doors centered on the gable ends and bands of windows on
the north and south punctuate the building's rock walls. Major
alterations to the original structure include the removal of a central
stone chimney and lattice privacy fences from the north and south sides;
the removal and replacement of the original square multi-light hopper
windows; and the addition of a door to the west elevation. |
| Community House
|
The Community House was originally built to provide park visitors
with a place for evening activities and informal gatherings. It has also
served as a headquarters for the park naturalist, and as a museum.
Erected in 1924 following NPS architects' designs, the Community House
is a one-story, rectangular, wood-frame structure set against a backdrop
of mature evergreens in the northwest area of the former campground.
Originally, the steeply pitched, wood-shingled gable roof sloped down to
the north to form a full-length porch overhang supported by peeled log
columns. This porch roof has been removed and the log supports are gone.
Centered on the north roof slope is a shed roof dormer with multi-paned
windows. Originally sheathed in wood shingles, the building is now sided
with horizontal wood boards (shingles are extant in the dormer). The
historic entry and primary facade had a pair of ten-light french doors
centered on the north wall, flanked by pairs of multi-paned casement
windows. The windows remain intact but the original doors were replaced
by a pair of eight-light doors. An exterior massive chimney, "battered"
in form and built of random coursed stone, rises on the east elevation. |
| Kiser Studio
|
Fred Kiser, a nationally recognized scenic artist known for his
hand-colored photographs, built this structure in 1921 to serve as his
southern Oregon headquarters, studio, and salesroom for his work and
photographic supplies. Kiser built a one-story, rectangular, stone and
wood structure near the edge of the caldera wall, west of the lodge.
Five years later, he built a large addition perpendicular to the edge of
the caldera wall. Uncoursed stone walls (both veneer and load-bearing)
with board and batten siding above the stonework on the gable ends was
incorporated into the addition to match the original building. Wood
shingles covered the gable roofs of both the original section and the
addition, and overhanging eaves were supported by exposed, peeled log
purlins. Multi-paned sliding windows were used on all elevations of the
Studio. The south facade had a simple, peeled log pergola over the
entry. A more elaborate pergola, rustic in character with peeled log
supports resting on stone piers on a stone terrace, was added early to
the building's north elevation, enhancing a visitor's entry experience.
After 1930, the NPS converted the building into an information office,
exhibit building, and Rim Village visitor contact station. Alterations
to the Kiser Studio include the removal of the pergolas, the covering of
the log purlins, the replacement and removal of some of the original
windows, and the replacement of the original sheathing with horizontal
board siding. |
| Cafeteria Building
|
In 1928, the concessioner completed the latest addition to Rim
Village -- a cafeteria and supply store for park visitors. Following NPS
designs, the Crater Lake National Park Company erected a rustic stone
building, 1-1/2 stories in height, rectangular in shape with a
rectangular service ell on the south, and sited several hundred feet
south of the caldera edge, oriented towards the lake. Stones similar in
size and color to those used in the Kiser Studio were used on the
exterior walls of the building. Board and batten siding was used above
on the gable ends. The steeply-pitched gable roof was covered with wood
shingles. On the primary facade, a recessed central entry with peeled
log supports was flanked by two pairs of multi-paned casement windows.
Other multi-paned windows placed throughout the structure further
punctuated the stone and wood surfaces of the building. The Cafeteria
retained its historic appearance until 1955, when a ski warming hut was
added onto the structure. This addition was followed by a series of
other extensions in the 1970s that increased the size of the historic
building threefold. |
| Secondary Buildings
|
Comfort stations comprise the majority of these buildings at Rim
Village. The oldest comfort station standing (No. 2) is, located in the
former campground area, southeast of the Community House. This building
is T-shaped, one-story in height, and sited amidst the tall evergreens
of the campground area. The wood-frame building was sided in vertical
boards which, in turn, were covered with a rustic veneer of stained logs
applied in "stickwork" fashion to define entries and window openings.
The intersecting gable roofs were sheathed in wood shakes and had
slightly extended eaves with exposed round log rafters and purlins. In
later years, the rustic motifs were removed and the comfort station
received new horizontal board siding.
Comfort stations Nos. 1 and 3
were built c. 1931 and were more simple in nature. Both were one-story,
rectangular, wood-frame buildings sheathed in horizontal board siding.
To give the buildings a rustic character, cut logs were applied as a
veneer to the structures' corners and around door and window openings.
Steeply-pitched gable roofs were covered in randomly-coursed wood
shakes. Multi-paned sliding windows enhanced the picturesqueness of the
buildings. In later years, the rustic motifs were removed and the roofs
covered with corrugated metal roofing material.
Comfort station No. 4, located directly behind the Cafeteria, was
designed and built by the NPS in 1931, following rustic design
principles employed elsewhere at Rim Village. The comfort station as
designed was a wood-frame building, rectangular in shape, and 1-1/2
stories in height. Large stones applied in a "battered" fashion were
used as a veneer to encase the building. Board and batten siding was
used above the stone at the gable ends. The steeply-pitched gable roof
was covered in wood shakes. Original windows were bands of square,
four-light windows on the east and west elevations. Central doors were
placed on both the north and south elevations, providing access to the
women's and men's restrooms, respectively. From its appearance this
structure may have served as the prototype for the Plaza Comfort
Station, which was built in 1938. Alterations to the structure were
undertaken c.1971 when the function of the building changed from a
comfort station to an electrical transformer vault. Changes included the
removal of most windows and filling the openings with concrete blocks
finished with plywood. One of the two original entry doors remains
intact.
The housekeeping units known as the Coldwater Cabins were built by
the park concessioner beginning in 1928 to provide the growing number of
park visitors with overnight accommodations. Twenty-two cabins were
eventually built. The cabins were sited southwest of the Cafeteria,
clustered together around an access road against a backdrop of
evergreens. For the most part, the cabins were oriented toward the lake.
Small in scale, these wood-frame, rectangular buildings were one-story
in height and sheathed in horizontal boards halfway up the wall, with
board and batten siding above. The gable roofs were covered in wood
shakes and slightly extended eaves exposed the cabins' rafter ends.
Doors with a Stick style pattern of applied battens were centrally
located on gable end elevations. Poor quality construction initially,
and subsequent years of neglect, resulted in the removal of these cabins
in 1986. |
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