Oregon Caves Historic American Buildings Survey Oregon Caves Ranger Residence

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION

A. Physical History

1. Date of erection: 1935—36.

2. Architect: Francis Lange served the National Park Service as one of its landscape architects beginning in 1929. After a two-year break from his work in the parks in order to complete a masters degree, Lange accepted an appointment as the Resident Landscape Architect at Crater Lake National Park. From 1934 to 1940, he held this position and was also responsible for overseeing Park Service development at Oregon Caves. Lange and two other landscape architects, Armin Doerner and Howard Buford, were attached to the Civilian Conservation Corps in order to direct work on the monument's structures and landscaping during the time that the ranger residence was being planned and built.

3. Original and subsequent owners: National Park Service.

4. Builder, contractor, suppliers: Construction of the Oregon Caves Ranger Residence was done by CCC enrollees from Camp Oregon Caves (NM—1), which was located about eight miles west of the monument near the Caves Highway. Supervision was provided by camp personnel. Most materials were acquired through local suppliers, either in the nearby Illinois Valley or from the CCC district headquarters warehouse in Medford.

5. Original plans and construction: Site selection was done in August 1934 by a consensus process involving Lange, CCC landscape foreman Doerner, CCC engineer George Whitworth, and Superintendent David Canfield. There was some earlier sentiment for a building site in the monument's lower parking lot, but concerns about congestion and steep banks led the group to opt for the cave entrance area. Lange drew plans for the residence in September 1934 and numbered the drawing OC-3001. The building was largely constructed as drawn, except Lange originally specified that the Port Orford-cedar sheathing was to be laid horizontally. A change to vertically-laid siding was made after concession manager George Sabin pointed out that a horizontal sheathing orientation was not in conformity with nature and would not shed water. Stylistically, the residence's appearance most closely matches that of an extant Forest Service guard station built at Camp Oregon Caves. The guard station was erected just prior to the ranger residence by camp enrollees who were detailed to work on Forest Service projects. Some of these CCC personnel helped construct the ranger residence.

6. Alterations and additions: The ranger residence remained virtually unchanged until the Mission 66 era (1956—66) of NPS development. The only exception to this was that the flagpole to the west of it was moved to the monument's lower parking lot when the information kiosk was constructed there in 1941. In 1958, the ranger residence got a new porch, handrail, gutters, and downspouts with Mission 66 funds. It was at this time that NPS personnel stationed at the monument had new living quarters constructed on nearby Forest Service land. Some remodeling was done in 1974, prior to the residence's conversion to office space. These changes included a new front door, a kitchen counter, and replacement of the heating stove with electric baseboard. The building was used primarily for resource management and interpretation functions until the autumn of 1988.

B. Historical Context:

The entrance to the Oregon Caves was discovered in 1874 by Elijah Davidson of Williams, Oregon, while on a hunting trip. Although the area's potential as a resort was recognized by the 1880s, the cave and environs could not be claimed under the mining laws because they had not been surveyed. A Forest Service survey was done in 1908 so that a 480 acre tract could be declared a national monument in 1909.

Early resort development was limited to tent houses and a small campground because no roads reached the monument until 1922. This was largely due to the high costs of road construction in steep, rugged terrain. Concession development was stimulated by the Caves Highway opening in 1922, and was further encouraged when improvements to the highway and cave tour route were completed in 1931. By 1935, the concessioner had built and was operating a hotel, a registration building, seven cabins, a guide dormitory, and several outbuildings. All of these had a rustic appearance, being wood frame buildings whose cedar bark sheathing gave them a shaggy look like the surrounding forest.

The ranger residence was the first National Park Service structure built at Oregon Caves and emulated the precedent set by the concessioner. From the time of its construction until the late 1950s, it housed the ranger assigned to the monument by the superintendent of Crater Lake National Park. Often another NPS employee would occupy the other bedroom, so that the residents were to share the bathroom and kitchen. This arrangement was a frequent source of friction and was one of the reasons that the agency found it necessary to obtain a special use permit to build a residence on land about two miles away from the monument in 1958.

The Oregon Caves Ranger Residence is one of many ranger residences designed by Francis Lange for the national parks and monuments located in Oregon and California during the decade of the 1930s. Lange and other NPS landscape architects were especially adept at designing park structures that would fit their respective settings. Several ranger residences that Lange designed are on the National Register of Historic Places at Crater Lake and Sequoia national parks, while others at Oregon Caves and Lava Beds national monuments are eligible for National Register listing as part of national historic districts.

PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION

A. General Statement:

Following the precedent established by the concessioner, the ranger residence is a creative adaptation to the monument's setting. Its significance lies in its simple rustic character that makes use of a steep site, yet blends with the topography and vegetation so that it attracts little visitor attention even though it is situated east and just upslope of the main entrance to the cave. The structure retains much of its original fabric and landscaping, though the latter is not extensive.

B. Description of Exterior:

1. Overall dimensions: This is a T—shaped building, approximately 38 x 28 feet and is situated on a hillside. It has a basement on its north-facing side and is one story in height.

2. Foundation: The residence rests on 32 concrete piers which are 18 inches at the base and exposed at varying heights so that the first floor can be level. The piers are connected to the flooring material by half inch steel reinforcing rods, or "dowels" as they are termed in Lange's plans. Most of the foundation is excavated, but only sixty percent of the basement is usable for storage because of the way that the structure is set into the hillslope. Some masonry and concrete reinforcement is evident.

3. Walls: Siding is three-quarter inch by four inch Douglas- fir shiplap laid diagonally. The studs are covered by waterproof building paper and sheathed by vertically laid Port Orford-cedar bark. Its appearance matches that of other buildings at the monument.

4. Structural system, framing: Wood frame construction supported by interior stud walls. The roof and floor are framed like the walls, with the shiplap of the same dimension supported by studs measured two by four inches.

5. Porches, stoops, balconies, bulkheads: A main porch runs along the north elevation in a L—shape, measuring 25 feet from east to west, then 11 feet in a northerly direction. The porch is oriented so that a view of the area between the chalet and chateau can be obtained.

6. Chimneys: One brick chimney with two flues is faced with stone above the roofline.

7. Openings:

a. Doorways and doors: The structure has three doors, with main entry on the north side of building. Secondary egress is on the south side from the kitchen. The basement is reached by going down stone steps to a door on the east side of the structure. All door surrounds are plain.

b. Windows and shutters: The residence has primarily eight-light wooden casement windows. An eight-light living room casement is adjoined to a pair of four—pane fixed sidelights, while six—light casements are located in the kitchen and bathroom.

8. Roof:

a. Shape, covering: The residence has a shake roof with gables at each end of its T—shape. Its roofline is broken by two peaks, one over the main entry and another over the bathroom window.

b. Cornice, eaves: After extending the eaves on all sides of the building, it was necessary to expose the rafter tails. The peaks over the main entry jut further out and are supported by unpeeled log brackets (or "lookouts" as Lange called them). The brackets also decorate the gables by appearing to form three purlins.

C. Description of the Interior:

1. Floor plans: The residence forms a T—shape, with one main floor. Two bedrooms are connected by a bathroom on the west side. At the opposite end of the structure is the kitchen. A living room, situated between the bedrooms and the kitchen, is the main circulation space. A partly excavated basement is beneath the main floor and has been used for storage.

2. Stairways: There are no stairways inside the structure, but some outside steps allow access to the basement.

3. Flooring: The original tongue and groove has been covered by carpeting in the living spaces and by linoleum in the bathroom and kitchen.

4. Wall and ceiling finish: Celotex, a type of pressed fiberboard, is the most common interior wall finish and is original. Also original is a redwood wainscoting that is present in the bathroom and kitchen. The wainscoting has been covered by imitation wood paneling in the living room. Ceilings are celotex.

5. Openings:

a. Doorways and doors: Interior doors access the bathroom and bedrooms. They are wood panel and have been painted, but retain the original brass plated door knobs. Surrounds are plain.

b. Windows: The residence has a relatively large number of windows because it is located on a steep north—facing slope. Interior surrounds are a plain wood trim.

6. Decorative features: Kitchen cabinets are original and typical of the mid 1930s. Some storage cabinets in the basement are also original.

D. Site:

1. General setting and orientation: The structure is north-facing and sits atop the underground cave system. Its location relative to the monument's primary resource led to a decision to eventually remove it; seven adjacent concession cabins were demolished in 1988. The residence is accessed by paths that come off a main trail that goes up the ravine from the chalet.

2. Historic landscape design: Planted hardwoods and shrubs now screen the ranger residence from the view of most visitors, though it could be easily seen during the first several decades after the building's completion. Much of screening is the result of replanting that followed removal of diseased conifers in 1962. Marble from the vicinity was used for the terrace wall on the west end of the structure, as well as for the steps located in three places around the residence. On the south side of the structure is an original log seat, located next to the hillside.

PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A. Architectural Drawings:

1. Structural elements and details:

a. "Ranger's Residence" by Francis G. Lange, drawing no. 3001, July 22, 1934, two sheets, Maintenance Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

b. "Ranger Residence" by Paul Turner, September 1952, two sheet [sketch plan], Maintenance Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

c. "Remodel Ranger Cabin at Oregon Caves" by John C. Raymond, September 17, 1974, three sheets [sketch plan], Central Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

2. Landscaping:

a. "The Master Plan for the Oregon Caves National Monument" coordinated by the Branch of Plans and Design [drawn by Francis G. Lange], 1936, two sheets, Interpretation Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

b. "Planting Plan, Caves Developed Area" by J.T. Clark, drawing no. 2059A, October 1962, one sheet, Maintenance Division Files, Oregon Caves National Monument.

B. Historic Views:

Photographs of the building's construction are in the museum collection at the monument. Particularly helpful were prints from negatives 6—27, 6-29, 6-30, and 6-32. Also useful were photos on pages 33-34 of a 1935 Camp Oregon Caves album, "ECW—1".

C. Bibliography:

1. "Report for the Month of August 1934 to the Chief Landscape Architect, Western Division" by Francis G. Lange, Landscape Architect, Emergency Conservation Work, Camps No. I and II and Building Construction, Technical Files, Cultural Resources Division, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, National Park Service, Seattle.

2. W.G. Carnes, Deputy Chief Architect, to D.H. Canfield, Superintendent, Crater Lake National Park, February 23, 1935, RG 79, 67A419, File 620—63 Ranger Residence, Federal Record Center, Seattle.

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 M. 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 14, 1989

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