Oregon Caves Chalet
(Visitor Center)
Oregon Caves Chalet
Visited June 6-8, 2004
by Jess Stryker
Click on any photo for a larger image.
Oregon Caves Chalet:
The current Chalet building was built in 1942, it replaced the previous Chalet building that stood on the same spot. It was designed and built by Gust Lium, a local contractor. It is one of 4 remaining historic buildings grouped around the cave entrance in Oregon Caves National Monument. The other buildings are The Chateau (1934), The Ranger Residence (1936?), and the old employee Dormitory (1927, with major additions in 1940 & 1972).
Looking at the Chalet as you approach from the day-visitor parking lot.
The breezeway through the Chalet. During the floods of 1964 water poured through this breezeway from the canyon on the far side.
The front of the Chalet. Note the multiple shed-style dormer roofs and the use of
French doors on the first floor to create a wall of windows.
View of the breezeway from the back of the building.
This is the employee dormitory building, built in 1927, with major additions in 1940 & 1972.
Index of Oregon Caves National Monument webpages:
Oregon Caves Chateau, Part 2. Virtual Tour of The Chateau at Oregon Caves- the Interior Public Areas.
Oregon Caves Chateau, Part 3. Virtual Tour of The Chateau at Oregon Caves- the Guest Rooms & Ghosts.
Oregon Caves Chateau, Part 4. Virtual Tour of The Chateau at Oregon Caves- the Landscape.
Oregon Caves Chateau, Review. The Chateau at Oregon Caves- Review.
Oregon Caves Chalet Photos and information on the historic Chalet Visitor's Center building.
The Oregon Caves. Photos from the park service Cave Tour.
References- Websites
Oregon Caves National Monument. The Official National Park Service website.
Architecture in the Parks- Oregon Caves Chateau An excellent historical piece on the Chateau by the Park Service.
Cultural Landscape Report This is an excellent, in-depth report on the historical buildings and landscape or Oregon Caves. Lots of historic photos. By Landscape Architects Cathy Gilbert and Marsha Tolon of the National Park Service.
Floor Plans of Chateau & Chalet Click on the link at left, then enter "Oregon Caves" into the search box. This will give you links to copies of the floor plans for the historic buildings at the Oregon Caves, as well as photos of the old guest cabins take prior to their removal. Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey or Historic American Engineering Record.
Chateau Accessibility and Safety Study Prepared by Architectural Resources Group, 2006. Primarily recommendations for repairs to the building, this document also contains a brief history with time line and a good description of current conditions of the Chateau. Note: large file size- 8.9 mb.
References- Books
Specific to Oregon Caves:
Domain of the Caveman: A Historic Resource Study of Oregon Caves National Monument: A Historic Resource Study of Oregon Caves National Monument Written by the Park Historian for Oregon Caves. If you're interested in the history of the Caves & Chateau I highly recommend this book. It is one of the books in my collection.
Awesome Caverns of Marble in the Oregon Caves National Monument: Documentary
Books on other NPS Rustic Buildings, & Landscape:
Patterns from the Golden Age of Rustic Design: Park and Recreation Structures from the 1930's. By Albert H. Good. Hundreds of descriptions, sketches, and historic photos of classic park structures, from fire pits to lodges and everything in between!
Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series. By Christine Barnes. Excellent coffee table book with gorgeous photos.
Dining at Great American Lodges: Recipes From Legendary Lodges, National Park Lore, Landscape Art, Music by the Big Sky Ensemble. By Sharon O'Connor. Recipes for famous dishes from the lodges, photos of food, and photos of the lodges. Includes a CD of traditional American songs.
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Help!
If you notice any errors on this page, or have additional information you would like to share, please let us know. Write to Jess at the email address below. If reporting an error it really helps if you can be as specific as possible, and if possible, please give us the name of the page with the error.
Know of a historic hotel or lodge we should include?
We are looking for historic hotels and lodges to add to this website. If you know of one that you think we should tour and review, please let us know. We're particularly interested in hotels in States we haven't visited: AR, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, KS, MD, MN, MO, NE, NJ, OH, OK, SC. If you own or manage a historic hotel this is free advertising! Contact Jess Stryker at the email address above.
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