Lake McDonald Lodge, Lake McDonald Village, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT
Built in 1913, this Rustic and Swiss Chalet-style hotel, located on the shores of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, was designed by Kirtland Cutter. The hotel replaced an earlier hotel, the Snyder Hotel, which had been constructed on the land in 1895 by George Snyder, and had been purchased by John Lewis in 1904. The lodge features a stone base, clad in white stucco, extending up to the second floor, with a wooden second floor, third floor, and roof. The building features extensive porches and balconies, casement windows, brackets, and broad overhanging eaves. The building’s three-story-tall lobby features a stone fireplace with indigenous-style carvings on it, which is a reproduction of the original that was destroyed during a massive flash flood in 1964. The building originally would have been oriented towards the lake, with the primary arrival route of guests being via ferry across Lake McDonald from Apgar Village. However, upon completion of the Going to the Sun Road to the lodge in 1921, a secondary entrance to the rear of the building became the primary arrival point for guests. A dining room wing, located on the south side of the building, is made up of multiple older structures that have been joined together, and features a long band of casement windows on the facade facing the lake. The lodge was originally owned independently, but was purchased by the Great Northern Railway’s Glacier Park Company in 1930, with the name of the hotel being changed from the Lewis Glacier Hotel to the Lake McDonald Lodge in 1957. The lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District in 1978, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The hotel subsequently saw extensive rehabilitation and restoration work in 1988-89.
Lake McDonald Lodge, Lake McDonald Village, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, MT
Built in 1913, this Rustic and Swiss Chalet-style hotel, located on the shores of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, was designed by Kirtland Cutter. The hotel replaced an earlier hotel, the Snyder Hotel, which had been constructed on the land in 1895 by George Snyder, and had been purchased by John Lewis in 1904. The lodge features a stone base, clad in white stucco, extending up to the second floor, with a wooden second floor, third floor, and roof. The building features extensive porches and balconies, casement windows, brackets, and broad overhanging eaves. The building’s three-story-tall lobby features a stone fireplace with indigenous-style carvings on it, which is a reproduction of the original that was destroyed during a massive flash flood in 1964. The building originally would have been oriented towards the lake, with the primary arrival route of guests being via ferry across Lake McDonald from Apgar Village. However, upon completion of the Going to the Sun Road to the lodge in 1921, a secondary entrance to the rear of the building became the primary arrival point for guests. A dining room wing, located on the south side of the building, is made up of multiple older structures that have been joined together, and features a long band of casement windows on the facade facing the lake. The lodge was originally owned independently, but was purchased by the Great Northern Railway’s Glacier Park Company in 1930, with the name of the hotel being changed from the Lewis Glacier Hotel to the Lake McDonald Lodge in 1957. The lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District in 1978, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The hotel subsequently saw extensive rehabilitation and restoration work in 1988-89.