Arizona — In what has to be the biggest national park story of at least this year, the Dragon Bravo Fire has wreaked devastation in the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed various buildings in the North Rim, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.
In honor of this building and its legacy at Grand Canyon National Park, we’ve put together an article covering its history and showing a few videos of the facilities.
The lodge was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood, who also helped build hotels at other national parks like Zion. It was built in the late 1920s, but a 1932 fire early in its lifespan led to a rebuilding effort. Thanks to additional help from Underwood, it reopened in 1937 and has welcomed millions of guests since. They kept the original stonework, but the new lodge featured a new design, as they didn’t bring back the second floor or observation tower.
The main building, which is situated 8,000 feet above sea level, was built out of native Kaibab limestone and timber to mesh with the local surroundings. Some of the features in the Main Lodge included a restaurant, saloon, deli, sun room, post office, gift shop, and bathrooms. Guests stayed in cabins and motel rooms around the main lodge (some of the cabins and motel buildings reportedly remain standing). It was designated on the National Register of Historic Places on September 2, 1982, and a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.
The first interesting video I found of the hotel is from We’re In The Rockies, which gives a tour of the Main Lodge.
Another good watch is this tribute video from GCHiker shows the fire, along with the property, including the cabin areas.
It’s unclear yet whether they’ll try to rebuild it, but any potential successor will find it difficult to replace the beauty of the original Grand Canyon Lodge.
Image/Video Credits: We’re In The Rockies, Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim (Aramark), GCHiker, National Park Service
