Virtual Tour of The Ahwahnee Hotel - Elevator Lobby

The dark and subdued elevator lobby is the central hub of the hotel, it features a large fireplace on the left side as you approach from the Main Lobby. I have never been in the hotel when there wasn´t a fire burning in this fireplace. The fireplace has a broken rock face, and a very interesting Jeannette Dyer Spencer mural painted above it. While the mural is original to the hotel and was painted in 1927, I think it can be best described by the late ‘60´s term "groovy". On either side of the fireplace there is a large doorway leading into the Great Lounge. On the opposite side of the Elevator Lobby from the fireplace is, from left to right, the kitchen entrance, the main staircase, and the elevators. The staircase is a rather unimpressive structure for such a grand hotel. A display case above the stairs contains one of the original Persian rugs from the hotel, which has a beautiful pattern woven into it. The Elevator Lobby ceiling has large plaster covered beams that are painted to contrast with the ceiling. Plaster beams over the staircase, and surrounding the elevator, are painted with intricate patterns. (Unless noted otherwise, all of the patterns in the hotel are Native American influenced.) On the west side of the Elevator Lobby (opposite the Main Lobby side) is the entrance to the Dining Room.