Oregon Caves Historic American Buildings Survey Oregon Caves Chalet

Oregon Caves Chalet

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION

A. Physical History

1. Date of erection: 1941—42.

2. Architect/Builder: Gust Lium, an architect and contractor from Grants Pass, can be credited with most of the design. The building's two—story breezeway was conceived by National Park Service architect Cecil Doty, who made two drawings of this feature for the concessioner's consideration in September 1941. One of these was incorporated into Lium's final plans.

Upon acceptance of the plans in November 1941, Lium started construction immediately with materials that he had acquired the previous summer. Lium was a very versatile architect, with the ability to take different design concepts and transform them into coherent expressions of rustic architecture within the confined, rugged topography of the monument. The treatment of this building blended easily with his earlier work, that being the nearby concession cabins (1926) and the Oregon Caves Chateau (1934).

3. Original and subsequent owners: Oregon Caves Resort (renamed Oregon Caves Company in 1953) which transferred its holdings to the Canteen Company of Oregon in 1977. Canteen was renamed Estey Corporation in 1988.

4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Lium secured Douglas-fir lumber and redwood shakes from local mills. Fixtures and windows were obtained in Grants Pass, though there is some evidence that he may have reused some windows from the old chalet. Although visitation dropped considerably during World War II, construction was completed by June 1942 because the concessioner wanted the building finished before the price of materials went up with war-time inflation.

5. Original plans and construction: Most of the chalet's mass is located to the north of the ravine and is connected to a smaller southerly section by a breezeway. This is similar in general form to the structure's predecessor, except that the present building was constructed ten feet further back than the old chalet. Original plans for the new chalet are numbered "O.C. 8001" on seven sheets and bear the date November 4, 1941. Cost of the structure was $25,000, which exceeded the initial estimates by about $8,000.

6. Alterations and additions: Lium's one change from the plans was reversing the placement of a door and window on the west side of the registration booth. During the 1950s, the wooden steps below the French doors on the west elevation were replaced by a long bench that serves as a sitting area for visitors. Additionally, in March 1961 the wooden steps leading to the structure's breezeway are removed so that they can be replaced with concrete. Other changes to the exterior are the result of damage from the 1964 flood. Steel shoring of the posts in the archway was done to give the building more support, while much of the men's restroom had to be replaced. Pathways around the building were graded and covered by asphalt for ease of maintenance.

Most of the changes to the interior have been due to expanding the gift shop on the first floor. When the "Employees Parlor" was lost to expansion (this function was incorporated into a 1972 addition to the Guide Dormitory) the stairway from it to the second floor was closed off and used for storage. Space for visitors to change into coveralls was unneeded after 1957 when the exit trail and cave tour route were paved, so the area next to the registration booth is now used for storage.

B. Historical Context:

The Oregon Caves Chalet is the second building to occupy its site, and continues to play its traditional role as an important facilitator of the visitor experience at the monument. It was from this site in 1923 that the concession development was laid out and the theme of rustic architecture at Oregon Caves established. Future buildings were to have an "alpine" look with steep gable roofs and bear a sheathing of Port Orford—cedar bark, while the native plants and rock were to be incorporated into the landscaping.

Although the Oregon Caves had been declared a national monument in 1909, the area's ability to draw visitors was limited in the early years because no road reached the cave until 1922. The following year, the U.S. Forest Service (who administered the monument until 1933) granted a special use permit to a group of Grants Pass businessmen so that resort development at Oregon Caves could begin. Government-financed improvements during the next two decades were followed by concession expenditures for tourist facilities, so that the monument on the eve of World War II had the appearance of a rustic alpine village nestled in the rugged Siskiyou Mountains.

The first chalet building was oriented so that it would span the ravine. Its open archway contained a "porch" that allowed the visitor to view both up and down the ravine, in addition to accessing the path to the cave entrance. A planned resort development on Grayback Creek eight miles to the northwest never materialized, so the concession's facilities at Oregon Caves had to expand with climbing visitation. The old chalet contained a lunchroom, cave tour registration, restrooms, and seven room to accommodate visitors and/or employees. Seven cabins and a guide dormitory were built in 1926 to augment overnight facilities and was followed by the completion of the Oregon Caves Chateau in 1934.

Proposed concession development in 1938 included plans for an enlarged guide dormitory, two additional cabins, and a new chalet that would incorporate a dormitory for the concession' s female employees as well as 50 hotel rooms. After three years of negotiations, an agreement between the concession and the National Park Service was reached. The proposal for additional cabins and the 50 guest rooms were dropped, so that the new chalet could incorporate the formerly separate nursery and two floors of dormitory space. Full utilization of the new chalet began with the end of World War II, during the season of 1946.

The December 1964 flood caused mud and debris to come down the ravine and do minor damage to the chalet, a that was mostly due to the building having an open breezeway. Some alteration to the landscaping took place, particularly with the replacement of the stone steps in front of the building, but Gust Lium's chalet is essentially the same structure as when it was erected. The chalet continues to serve a variety of functions, including some that give Oregon Caves a unique flavor within the National Park System.

PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION

A. General Statement:

Like the Oregon Caves Chateau, this building is a reflection of how Gust Lium could adapt a large structure to the limits imposed by an extremely confined site. Lium took the functions of a structure built in 1923 and formulated a response to the demands for a new building with expanded facilities. He set the new structure ten feet further back than its predecessor to increase pedestrian circulation, used an array of door types and window sizes within an asymmetrical design, and made the building serve a variety of functions in a cohesive manner. As a multipurpose building, it seems to borrow little from others on the monument; yet it is a fully integrated part of a rustic alpine village at the Oregon Caves.

B. Description of the Exterior:

1. Overall dimensions: The structure bends along a north-south trending contour so that it can be situated on a terrace within a ravine. On the north side of the chalet's first floor is a gift shop/snack bar, women's restroom, and a nursery known as "Kiddy Kave". On the structure's south side is the men' s restroom, a storage area, and the registration booth for cave tours. The approximate dimensions of the building's first floor is 34 x 117 on the structure's west side and is 135 feet along the east facade.The north side of the second floor is divided into dormitory rooms for the concession's employees, while the south side has two staff apartments. Most of the third floor is a dormitory, but several apartments are located over the breezeway and on the south side of the building. Square footage of the building is 3440 on the first floor, 3984 on the second floor, and 2967 on the third floor.

2. Foundations: Reinforced concrete, eight inches thick on a mostly excavated base. Some unexcavated hillslope is incorporated into the northeast side of the first floor. The structure has no basement.

3. Walls: Siding is 1" x 6" shiplap laid diagonally and covered by waterproof building paper. It is sheathed by vertically laid Port Orford-cedar bark, so that the chalet's appearance matches that of the other buildings on the monument.

4. Structural system, framing: Wood frame walls on the first floor are supported by 2" x 6" studs, 16" on center and trussed over openings. Other walls are 2" x 4" studs 16" on center. The two—story breezeway is supported by 12" x 12" girder posts and 12" x 20" wood beams. Cables are used to help offset the 1964 flood damage to the girder posts and beams. The rafters are Douglas—fir 2" x 6", and are 24" on center.

5. Porches, stoops, balconies, bulkheads: Linking the two sections of the chalet together is an open breezeway, which serves as a porch and allows passage from the upper ravine to the roadway below or the path to the cave entrance. The breezeway measures 24 x 34 feet on the chalet's west side and narrows to 20 x 34 on the east end. There is some 15 feet on the west side between the building and a railing that allows passage to the nursery on the northwest end of the building. The nursery (or "Kiddy Kave", as it is called) has a covered porch with concrete floor that measures 8 x 14 feet. The chalet has one balcony, which extends across the third floor gable above the breezeway. It is nine feet across and is accessed through apartment 307's french doors.

6. Chimneys: None. The chalet's heating system originally made use of the chateau's furnace through a clay culvert that connected the buildings. This has since been replaced by electric baseboard heat.

7. Openings: The creative use of different sizes and types of doors and windows is probably the most distinctive feature of the structure. They are adapted to the chalet's various functions and provide pleasant relief from summer temperatures that can exceed 90 degrees.

a. Doorways and doors: Four types of doors are used on the building's exterior. On its west elevation, two sizes of eight light (four of which have been painted over) french doors originally provided egress from the gift shop to the outside. They are sized so that their opening would provide space for the writing desks that were once in the gift shop. One set of french doors nearest the nursery has been replaced by a set of steel fire doors with glass panels in each.The gift shop's main entry is a double door with five horizontal lights. Other doors have six or nine lights and some are solid doors. There is a set of eight light french doors that open to the third floor balcony. All doors have plain surrounds.

b. Windows: There are five types of windows in the chalet. Most prevalent are nine and six light wooden casements, the latter being suspended by overhead chain. Other types of windows are double hung sash, nine to twelve light fixed windows, and two windows in the breezeway that can be lifted out during periods of heavy visitation. All windows have plain surrounds.

8. Roof:

a. Shape, covering: The chalet has a gable roof covered by wood shakes laid to weather. The most recent roofing work was completed in June 1989.

b. Cornice, eaves: On the east and west elevations, the eaves are extended to expose the rafter tails. The chalet's configuration dictated that four purlins are evident on the structure's north side, while only three are on its south facade. All purlins are six inches square.

c. Dormers, cupolas, towers: The breezeway forms what is an unusual gable dormer on the building's east and west elevations. Its effect is balanced somewhat by a large gable dormer at the north end of the chalet's west elevation. Between the two gable dormers on the west side are shed dormers on the second and third floors. A second floor shed dormer also breaks the roof line on the south side of the breezeway at the front of the chalet; while on the structure's back side, a third floor shed dormer is evident along both sides of breezeway.

C. Description of the Interior:

1. Floor plans: The chalet's first floor is largely public space and has seen the greatest interior alteration. The largest component is the gift shop, which has been expanded from the original "Novelty Store and Soda Fountain" to include space that was devoted to an adjoining storeroom and "Employees Parlor" (whose function was replaced in by a 1972 addition to the guide dormitory). The dimensions of the nursery and the women's restroom have remained unaltered. On the structure's south side, all three rooms on the first floor retain their original dimensions (the men's coverall room was converted to storage after 1957).

The north side of the second and third floors retain their original configuration. Female employee dressing rooms can be found on the west side of the building; the east half contains two sleeping porches, a center stairway, and bathrooms on each end. Separated into north and south sections by the breezeway, the south section of the second floor contains apartments, an entrance hall, stairway, and bathroom. The south end of the third floor differs from the second because it contains three apartments of different dimensions from those below it.

2. Stairways: Three stairways are located in the building. One is in the gift shop, behind what was the storeroom and once provided access to the dormitories above. It is now blocked off and used to store supplies. Presently, the dormitories are serviced by a second floor entry on the east side of the building that is connected to the center stairs, and a second floor entry with ramp on the north side of the chalet. The latter entry is connected to the third floor by outside stairs. All of the chalet's stairways are wooden and contain no ornamental features.

3. Flooring: The first floor is cement four inches thick and covered by carpet in the gift shop and nursery. Upper stories have two inch Douglas-fir tongue and grove flooring.

4. Wall and ceiling finish: Walls and ceilings in the ticket office, nursery, and dormitories are plastered and have a sand coat finish. The gift shop has a veneer panel ceiling with knotty pine walls and trim.

5. Openings:

a. Doorways and doors: Interior doors are unpainted wood, and are bordered by plain surrounds.

b. Windows: Trim is plain, but the number of openings considerably augments the dim lighting during the summer occupancy of the second and third floor dormitories.

6. Decorative features and trim: The dressing rooms on the second and third floors retain the original built—in wood tables and cabinets. Some 15 feet of the wood service counter in the gift shop remains.

7. Hardware: Many of the plain wooden doors in the interior of the upper floors retain the original door knobs.

8. Mechanical equipment:

a. Heating, ventilation: Electric baseboards are the current heating system and have replaced the radiators, whose heat was generated by a furnace in the chateau.

b. Lighting: Some small arts-and-crafts light fixtures remain on the exterior west elevation of the first floor; these are spaced at regular intervals from the breezeway to the nursery. Interior light fixtures are generally simple, especially in areas not used by the public.

D. Site

1. General setting and orientation: The chalet is situated on a terraced area of a small ravine, a location that required additional excavation before it replaced an earlier structure in 1942. Like the previous chalet, it faces west so that it can contribute to the general circulation pattern of the cave entrance area. By its presence, the chalet serves to hide the guide dormitory, the ranger residence, and the sites of seven formerly extant concession cabins, so that visitors never suspect their presence. Vegetative screening and the building's orientation help keep it cool during the often hot: summer days.

2. Historic landscape design: This structure fits into the designed landscape the same way that its predecessor did and conforms to the ideas of Arthur L. Peck, who designed the general circulation pattern for the monument's concession development in 1923. The present chalet was set ten feet further back than the original structure to increase pedestrian circulation along the building's west elevation. Much of the landscaping around the chalet was done by Civilian Conservation Corps labor under the direction of National Park Service landscape architects from 1934 to 1941. The removal of diseased trees in 1962 and the rebuilding done after the 1964 flood damage have increased vegetative screening, with the latter event leading to the paving of walks, steps, and roadways. Some changes to the building and adjacent landscape were proposed in 1976, but the concession changed hands the following year and none of the alterations were implemented. During 1983, some stone work was added around the structure, most notably a rock-lined pool east of the breezeway and a reconstructed stone bench near the south facade.

PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A. Architectural Drawings:

1. Structural elements and details:

a. "New Chalet" by G.A. Lium, drawing no. O.C.N.M.—8001, November 4, 1941, five sheets, Interpretation Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

b. "New Chalet, to be filed with drawing O.C. 8001" by Cecil Doty, September 13, 1941, one sheet [two proposed schemes for the breezeway], Maintenance Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

c. "Oregon Caves Chalet" by Paul Turner, September 1952, two sheets [sketch plan], Maintenance Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

d. "Proposed Alterations to Gift Shop" by Ronald D. White, August 2, 1976, one sheet, Concession Files, Oregon Caves Chateau.

2. Landscape components:

a. "The Master Plan for the Oregon Caves National Monument" coordinated by the Branch of Plans and Design [drawn by Francis G. Lange], 1938, three sheets, Interpretation Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

b. "Rebuild Stone Walls, Chateau Area" by Francis G. Lange, drawing no. 2004, April 1940, one sheet, Interpretation Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

B. Historic Views:

Many photographs have been taken of the chalet, but two sources supplied the views necessary for documenting the present building before the 1964 flood as well as for comparison with the chalet's predecessor.

1. Museum Collection, National Park Service, Oregon Caves National Monument.

2. Photograph Collection, Concession Files, Oregon Caves Chateau.

C. Sources:

1. Memorandum, Francis G. Lange, Resident Landscape Architect, to E.A. Davidson, Regional Landscape Architect, August 23, 1937 [concerns the need for a new chalet], Record Group 79, 67A419, Box 15861, File 900-01 Buildings, Federal Record Center, Seattle.

2. Memorandum, Scofield DeLong, Regional Architect, to O.A. Tomlinson, Regional Director, September 18, 1941 [discusses the need for a new building to be set back ten feet from the old one and transmits the Doty sketch of the new breezeway], ibid.

3. "Specifications for NEW CHALET, Oregon Caves National Monument" by G.A. Lium, n.d. [ca. November 1941], ibid.

4. Superintendent's Monthly Report, Crater Lake National Park, March 4, 1942, Museum Collection, Crater Lake National Park.

5. Superintendent's Monthly Report, May 12, 1942, ibid.

6. Memorandum, Paul Fritz, Park Landscape Architect, to Superintendent, Crater Lake National Park, January 18, 1965, Interpretation Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION

This documentation is part of a donated recording project that took place at the Oregon Caves National Monument and Crater Lake National Park during the summer of 1989. From June 5 to August 25, research and measured drawings for the project were completed by HABS Project Supervisor Kurt Klimt, Architecture Technician Belinda Sosa, and Landscape Technicians John Nicely and Michael Egan. Coordination of the project was done by the NPS regional Chief of Cultural Resources, Stephanie Toothman, and HABS Principal Architect Paul Dolinsky.

Prepared by:
Stephen R. Mark

Title:
Historian

Affiliation:
National Park Service
Crater Lake National Park

Date:
September 6, 1989

Oregon Caves Chalet

Oregon Caves Chalet (1928)