Historic Structures

"In any area in which the preservation of the beauty of Nature is a primary purpose, always design buildings that are not only attractive to look upon, but also appear to belong to, and be part of, their settings ..."

Stephen T. Mather
(first director of the National Park Service)

At Mount Rainier, designers selected massive logs and glacial boulders as the building materials best suited for integrating administration buildings, employee residences, bridges ... even comfort stations were all built to express the unifying characteristics of Rustic architecture. For many people, this impressive architectural style contributes to the special sense of place quality which makes national parks a distinctive part of the American landscape.

Mount Rainier National Park was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in March of 1997. National Historic Landmarks commemorate and represent the history and culture of the United States. At Mount Rainier the process which led to this designation dates to the initiation of the National Park Service master planning process at Mount Rainier in the late 1920s and 1030s. The planning process was a major step in the design and management of scenic reservations in the 20th century. Besides being the first fully developed example of National Park Service master planning, Mount Rainier also remains the most complete example of the results of such planning. The park has retained most of the facilities built during the historic period. As a result, more than any other national park, Mount Rainier represent the ideal of a full complement of park development as represented through the master plans drawn up during the 1930s.

The newly formed NHL District of Mount Rainier National Park encompasses

• all the roads
• historic developed areas, and
• historic back country structures of the park.
• The Wonderland Trail, a 93-mile loop trail system around the mountain, is also included.

The majority of these buildings and structures were first listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 29, 1991. In addition to the 108 contributing buildings and 11 contributing structures listed at that time, this nomination adds 46 more contributing structures. Most of these contributing structures are associated with the historic park roads which were not listed in he National Register nomination in 1991. The NHL district also incorporates the pre-existing National Register historic districts at the

• Nisqually Entrance,
• Longmire,
• Paradise,
• Camp Muir,
• Yakima Park, and the
• White River Entrance,

enlarging them where necessary. All of these historic developed areas (except Camp Muir) are within the continuous NHL District, which follows the park's road system.

Landmarks are identified by theme and special studies prepared or overseen by National Park Service historians and archaeologists. Landmark designation is the Federal Government's official recognition of the national importance of historic properties.

Mount Rainier National Park's Official Homepage