Old Faithful Inn Photo Pages

Please click images to enlarge.

The original solid entrance doors, still in use today, were painted red--an international sign of welcome. The elaborate iron work was done at the time of construction by the on-site blacksmith. In the early days, the small, caged windows allowed the doorkeeper to safely peer out  before allowing unexpected guests to enter.

The massive fireplace (left) provides a central support for the rest of the lobby. In all probability it was also useful for providing warmth during winter 1903-1904 interior work, a cooking fire for construction workers, as well as an on-site forge for making nails and metal detail work.

Although one might expect the Old Faithful Inn to face its famous namesake, architect Robert Reamer intentionally turned the building away from the geyser, instead placing it at a direction that would allow incoming stages to have a direct view of Old Faithful as guests arrived under the Inn's front portico.

Even the back of the Inn (left) was carefully designed by architect Reamer. The "widow's walk" observation area at the top of the building was built to provide tourists with a raven's-eye view of Old Faithful and surroundings. Following the 1959 earthquake, it was deemed unsafe for daily visitor use, and though strengthened during the renovation of the 2000s, it remains a restricted area because it was not built to accommodate today's volume of guests.

In the summer of 2004 banners througout the lobby proclaimed the Inn's 100 anniversary, as seen in this photo taken the evening of May 7, 2004, opening day of the Old Faithful Inn's centennial season.

For more on the Inn's 2004 Centennial Celebration and photos of May 7 Opening Day Ceremonies  Click Here

A major 3-year renovation of the Old Faithful Inn has helped to prepare the historic building for future generations. This photo from the summer of 2005 shows exterior work in progress.

For more on the Old Faithful Inn restoration, including photos and text   Click Here

By fall of 2008 the renovation of the Old Faithful Inn was nearly complete. In this photo taken from the Old Faithful observation area in early September, the scaffolding is gone, the exterior and roof are reshingled and restained, the widow's walk rebuilt, and a small crew of painters in the yellow lift near the center of the photo adds a finishing trim around the windows.

RETURN TO MAIN PAGE

GO TO NEXT PAGE

GO TO INN PHOTO PAGES    2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9 (See p. 9 for Old Faithful Inn LINKS on the Web)

All photographs on this and the following pages © Frank Markley