Virtual Tour of The Ahwahnee Hotel - Great Lounge

The other major room off of the Elevator Lobby is the Great Lounge. If you picture the "Y" design of the hotel, the trunk of the Y is the Great Lounge. (See floor plan.) It is a rectangular room and features a large fireplace on the Elevator Lobby end. The fireplace is constructed of cut stone, and the opening size of the actual firebox is 6 feet high and 6 feet wide. This is literally a "walk-in" fireplace, and there is a stone seat constructed on either side of the firebox. Yes, that's right, the firebox is so large you can sit inside it! The ceiling of the Great Lounge has to be at least 25 feet high, with plaster coated beams. The beams are painted on the bottoms with decorative patterns. On either side of the room are 5 sets of floor to ceiling windows, with the top section of each being stained glass panels, designed by Jeannette Dyer Spencer. Like the Dining Room each window has full length curtains.