HISTORIC BUILDINGS

 

There are more than 100 historic buildings in Rocky Mountain National Park, a fraction of the buildings once found within park boundaries. For much of the twentieth century, the National Park Service considered Rocky Mountain a natural park, and therefore management decisions aimed to return the landscape to pre-contact conditions. Though some buildings were protected, not until 1988 was the "natural" designation lifted and a new mandate towards historic preservation embraced. Since then, numerous park buildings have been restored or rehabilitated. The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center received the highest designation possible for historic sites in the nation; it became a National Historic Landmark in January 2001. Rocky Mountain National Park recently completed a Historic Building Treatment Plan, which assessed the physical condition and historic integrity of each historic building and prioritized them according to condition, use, available funding, and estimated cost.

What is an Historic Building?

An historic building is listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1967 requires the National Park Service (NPS) to nominate suitable structures for listing. In order to be eligible for listing, a building must be significant to our history-in architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. Generally, buildings must also be at least 50 years old.

Why Are Park Buildings Significant?

Park buildings are generally listed on the National Register for two reasons, architectural significance or association with ranching and tourism in the region.

Architectural Significance

Most of the park's buildings were built in the rustic style. The first director of the NPS, Stephen Mather, advocated rustic design within parks as early as 1918 believing that buildings should blend with their natural surroundings. With wood shingle roofs, log framing, stone foundations, exposed rafter tails, and dark-stained siding, many buildings within Rocky Mountain NP exemplify this design philosophy. The Twin Owls Residence behind MacGregor Ranch is one of the earliest existing NPS-constructed buildings in the park.

Association with Ranching and Tourism in the Region

Before Rocky Mountain NP was established in 1915, the areas around Grand Lake and Estes Park were filled with cattle ranches. With the growing popularity of tourism in the area, many of these ranchers converted their properties to dude ranching. They built cabins to house their guests. During the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, many park visitors stayed at one of the guest ranches in the area, including McGraw Ranch, Never Summer Ranch, Green Mountain Ranch, and Onahu Ranch. You can visit all of these sites in Rocky Mountain National Park.

A Sampling of Historic Buildings

Aspenglen Campground		Even visitor buildings like campground ranger stations and comfort stations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their rustic design. The Timber Creek Campground Comfort Stations have exposed rafter tails, exposed log framing, and board and batten siding. Built in 1939, the comfort stations demonstrate the continuum of rustic design over both space and time in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Ranger Station at Glacier Basin Campground (1930) has a stone foundation, exposed rafter tails, and log construction. The National Park Service built Aspenglen Comfort Station (1942) with wavy siding, echoing the nearby riparian area of Fall River. The Keeper of the National Register found these and other NPS constructed rustic buildings to be significant in 1988.
Agnes Vaille Memorial Shelter		There are ten backcountry buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The backcountry cabins share the rustic style, although materials vary from stone to log depending on the environment. Examples can be found at Fern Lake (1925), the Keyhole on Longs Peak (Agnes Vaille Memorial Shelter, 1927), Willow Park (1923), Lawn Lake (1931), Shadow Mountain (1933), Thunder Lake (1930), and Twin Sisters (built by the National Forest Service in 1914).

McLaren Hall		The Utility Area Historic District is significant for its rustic design. National Park Service employees designed these buildings in the 1920's and 1930's. Young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal work program, built some of the buildings. Many are still used for their original purposes; this includes housing for permanent employees and their families, maintenance shops and garages, and ranger offices. In 1982, the Keeper of the National Register determined Rocky Mountain NP Utility Area is significant for its representation of rustic design.
Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Click here for more photos			Built in 1967, the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was designated a National Historic Landmark in January 2001. It is nationally significant for its contribution to the NPS building program, Mission 66, and for its embodiment of modern National Park Service architecture. Mission 66 was a park building program that began in 1956. Its goal was to transform the NPS to meet postwar conditions, including modernizing visitor facilities. Beaver Meadows Visitor Centers also embodies NPS modern architecture. Taliesin Architects, a design firm started after Frank Lloyd Wright's death in 1959, designed the building. It exemplifies his belief in organic architecture, which attempts to integrate a building into its surroundings. Taliesin Architects, therefore, continued the tradition of rustic design in Rocky Mountain National Park-utilizing modern materials-into the 1960's.