Lake Hotel
Luxury in an unexpected setting.
Lake Hotel
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, Lake Yellowstone Hotel embodies artful historic preservation in every detail. Renovated to provide a luxurious guest experience, the beautiful Hotel has served Yellowstone National Park visitors for over a century. The multi-phased restoration renewed the Hotel’s Colonial Revival style architecture and provided classic sophistication to guest rooms and various public spaces with new furnishings and fixtures reminiscent of the structure’s historic 19thcentury aesthetic. All design efforts maintained the historic integrity and authentic craftsmanship of the building while enhancing the unique qualities that make the Hotel a national treasure.
Lake Hotel
Luxury in an unexpected setting.
ARCHITECTURE
INTERIORS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, Lake Yellowstone Hotel embodies artful historic preservation in every detail. Renovated to provide a luxurious guest experience, the beautiful Hotel has served Yellowstone National Park visitors for over a century. The multi-phased restoration renewed the Hotel’s Colonial Revival style architecture and provided classic sophistication to guest rooms and various public spaces with new furnishings and fixtures reminiscent of the structure’s historic 19thcentury aesthetic. All design efforts maintained the historic integrity and authentic craftsmanship of the building while enhancing the unique qualities that make the Hotel a national treasure.
Awakening the past
A primary design goal included the restoration of historic design elements that had been previously removed, including the grand porte-cochere, rooftop “widow’s walk,” and roof balustrade at the Hotel’s entrance. The design team replicated these elements from historical data to return the structure to its original design expression.
A seismic hotspot
More than a third of the Park sits within the crater of an active supervolcano. Due to high seismic activity and sandy, native soil conditions, the Hotel suffered from major settlement and structural issues. Varied treatment techniques were developed to level the structure’s floors within modern accessibility tolerances, as well as enhance the foundation throughout.
A remote, winter environment
Winter construction required materials be transported on tracked vehicles utilizing the nearest snow-plowed road, nearly 60 miles away. Materials were carried the remainder of the distance via snowmobiles across the snowy landscape to the site. Due to regular power outages caused by severe weather, backup power systems were essential to facilitate work progress and safety.
Adapting to unexpected challenges
Providing structural stability to the Hotel was problematic due to concealed conditions created by years of previous modifications with poor records of the original work. A multi-floor truss, as well as steel rod ceiling assemblies, were discovered within the wall construction, interfering with the installation of updated building systems and structural upgrades. Due to surprises like these, the design team lived and worked full-time onsite to quickly solve and respond to unexpected discoveries and work scope changes.