The Grand Lodge

Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, believed Yosemite could be protected for future generations only if influential people came to care about the park in its natural state, so he hired architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood to design a world-class hotel reflecting the Valley’s domes and cliffs. On July 14, 1927, at a cost of $1.5 million, The Ahwahnee opened with a gala event and later hosted kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers, movie stars, and other celebrities. During World War II, however, its artwork and fine furnishings were placed in storage and the hotel was converted into a Navy convalescent hospital, with the Great Lounge turned into a dormitory for 350 sailors and as many as 850 staff and patients occupying the building at times, though servicemen soon grew weary because Yosemite was far from loved ones and “civilization.”

Yosemite Valley, California · United States