Note: When the Old Faithful Inn opened for the summer 2006 season on Monday, June 26, project manager Peter Galindo reported its renovation to be about 2/3 complete. Work is expected to be fully completed by spring 2008. The photos above were taken from August 24 to August 30, 2005 as some rather dramatic work was being done to the exterior. Here is a summary of the work progress at the time these pictures were taken:
From October 2004 through June 2005 while the Old Faithful Inn was closed to the public much of the interior renovation of the Inn's lobby was under way. A 7" sunken area around the fireplace was put back into the floor similar to its original 1904 appearance. The entire lobby floor was covered with plywood sheeting, to be covered during winter 2005-2006 with permanent maple flooring. The basement area and crawl spaces were enlarged and upgraded into a more functional utility/service/storage area. Work was begun adding steel reinforcements to the entire structure. In addition, the registration desk was expanded to share space with the new activities desk. A new hostess desk built of stone and metal trim was added near the entrance to the dining hall. Two support log walls, removed over the years, were rebuilt as in the original 1904 plans. When the building reopened for the season in July 2005, work concentrated on the exterior. At the time these photos were taken, the roof was in the process of being reconditioned for eventual covering with new shingles, and the widow's walk at the top had been mostly torn down in preparation for replacement.
Overview
After 100 years of wear and attack from extreme Yellowstone weather, the demands of yearly guest use, as well as damaging effects of the 1959 earthquake, the Old Faithful Inn was beginning to show its age, becoming structurally unsound and increasingly unable to withstand the force of heavy winter snows and the threat of another severe earthquake. In 2001 the decision was made to undertake a complete and thorough renovation of the Inn that would upgrade the structure and make it seismically stable, bringing it up to code for the 21st century. This was not intended to be a modernization, but an effort to preserve the historic structure for future generations.
A&E Architects of Missoula, Montana spent nearly 2-1/2 years comparing original drawings of the Inn with what is there today. Many talks were held with federal and state historic preservationists as well as officials at Xanterra, the company that currently operates the Old Faithful Inn. In the end, a plan was developed to upgrade the structure while not compromising the Inn's overall character and appearance.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake in 1959 had done much to separate the frame of the building from its foundation. To correct that problem, the building would be pulled together and stabilized by various means including the use of steel beam reinforcement and underlayers of plywood sheeting that offer some give while holding parts together throughout.
Electrical wiring, plumbing, and heating would be upgraded to meet code, and wires, pipes, and sprinkling systems hidden as much as possible.
Work will continue year round during this extensive renovation, with interior work being done during the off season. Temporary on-site camps house workers during the winter. The Inn's interior heat cannot be turned on during the winter months because the building is not insulated and escaping heat would cause unwanted and damaging snow melt on the roof.
The restoration is expected to be fully completed by the spring of 2008 at a cost of $21.36 million dollars.
Changes to the lobby
Those familiar with the Inn will notice some changes to the appearance of the lobby. The entrances to the gift shop and Pony Express snack shop have changed with the reconstruction of two log walls in that area. These load-bearing walls were a part of the original structure, but were removed during past renovations. The stone water fountain "bubbler" has been relocated to its original position as seen in early photos and postcards of the lobby.
Another noticeable change is the addition of a hostess station built of rock and metal framing near the entrance to the dining room. The activities desk which was previously in that area is now incorporated into the existing registration desk, which has been extended into the 1927-1928 expanded lobby area.
A major change in the lobby is the return of the 7" sunken area around the fireplace. This too was part of the original design but was removed many years ago (some think to add additional dancing space for guests, though it seems likely there may have been additional reasons back then for filling in this area).
The plywood sheeting that covers the lobby floor in these photos now serves as an underlayer for permanent hardwood maple flooring added during the winter of 2005-2006.
Public restroom facilities will be improved, including the addition of a new restroom in the corner of the snack shop that was formerly used for serving ice cream. Plans are to return more of the historic cartoon-like wooden panels to the snack shop. (In the 1980s, the designs of these panels were reproduced in etched glass windows that now divide the Bear Pit Lounge and the Inn's dining room.)
During the 1959 earthquake chunks of fallen brick blocked two of the Inn's large fireplaces. At the end of the renovation all four main fireplaces in the large chimney will be fully functional. Also the chimney is to be given better support at its foundation for improved stability.
Not so visible to the casual observer is steel reinforcement added to the lobby to give the structure strength.
Changes to "Old House" rooms
Current plans are to regain two log guest rooms from reclaimed areas off the lobby that were originally used for guests, but over the years have been taken away for other purposes. This will result in 108 Old House rooms and a total of 329 guest rooms for the Old Faithful Inn.
All Old House rooms will remain without telephone jacks, although limited Internet access will be available in the breezeway and rotunda that join the east and west wings to the main structure.
The yellow will be replaced with period-style reproduction wash basins, and the noisy radiators replaced with new versions, also in the style of the period, that heat more quietly with a hot water system rather than steam.
Although the original Old House rooms had large throw rugs with exposed flooring along the edges, the original flooring has been replaced and rugs attached, with flooring still exposed along the edges.
The National Park Service granted Wyoming woodworker Rich Holstein rights to both the 1936 maple lobby flooring as well as the original 1904 Old House fir flooring as long as he removed it. Holstein has in turn made and sold frames of this wood. In the week before the Inn's 2006 opening, he donated and installed 110 framed mirrors in all 108 Old House rooms and in the first floor lobby.
Exposed sprinkler systems and wiring will be hidden wherever possible so that the rooms might actually look more as they did originally. In addition, insulation is to be added to the walls and may make rooms more soundproof.
Windows have been repaired or replaced in most Old House rooms.
Renovation of the exterior
The Inn's roof, including that of the lobby and dining room, has been reinforced with hidden steel beams to help bear the load of heavy winter snows. Large sheets of plywood have been applied to the roof and covered with plastic sheeting, which serves as a waterproof underlayer for replacement shingles.
The widow's walk ihas been rebuilt and all 8 flagpoles returned to the top of the Inn. Although after renovations the widow's walk is again structurally sound, there are no plans to allow the public to have access to it. Fire codes require that there be two exits for it to be open to the public, and it was designed to have just one. There are currently no plans to change this design.
Any rotting beams and timbers were replaced, and the exterior walls reshingled.
The general contractor for the project, Swank Enterprises of Kalispell, MT, has been working closely with the project manager for the park service, Peter Galindo.
1. "Inn Saved from Fire Will Undergo Face Lift," by Becky Bohrer (AP), LA Daily News, May 1, 2004.
2. "Inn with the New," by Eve Byron, Helena Independent Record, February 20, 2005.
3. "New Life for the Old House," by Eve Byron, Helena Independent Record, May 26, 2005.
4. Old Faithful Inn: Crown Jewel of National Park Lodges, by Karen Wildung Reinhart and Jeff Henry (Roche Jaune Pictures, Inc., Emigrant, Montana, 2004).
5. "My Stamp on History," by Justin R. Lessman, The Powell Tribune, June 24, 2006.
6. "Old Faithful Inn Opens for Business," by Ruffin Prevost, Billings Gazette, June 27, 2006.
7. Additional information from Xanterra and the National Park Service.
