When was the Grand Canyon Lodge built? Here's what you should know
The Grand Canyon Lodge opened in June 1937 and was the only hotel located inside Grand Canyon National Park boundaries on the North Rim. It was destroyed in a wildfire over the weekend of July 12-13.
The lodge building was made of a limestone façade that was sourced nearby, and massive ponderosa pine trees were turned into support beams to hold up a sloped roof capable of supporting heavy loads of snow, according to the National Park Service. The property consisted of a main lodge building with 23 deluxe cabins and over 90 regular cabins.
A cabin at Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
An earlier lodge that opened in the late 1920s burned down in a fire in September 1932. That fire destroyed the lodge within minutes, sending the lodge's staff fleeing in the early morning hours, according to the National Park Service.
The original North Rim lodge was built in part for the Union Pacific Railroad, which quickly reestablished a cafeteria and recreation hall after the 1932 fire, according to the National Park Service.
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The rebuilt lodge sat on the foundation of the former and used many of the original's materials, but was scaled back in its design, removing a second story and observation tower that were part of the original, according to the National Park Service.
Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood followed National Park Service guidelines that required buildings to represent their surrounding environment. The lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
