• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation

Ahwahnee
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Finding of No Significant Impact signed January 2012
Alternatives presented at the July 2011 monthly Open House.

 
The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee - a National Historic Landmark built in 1927

The Ahwahnee, located in Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, includes a National Historic Landmark hotel, guest cottages, an employee dormitory, and associated grounds and landscaping. Built in 1927, The Ahwahnee hotel is an iconic landmark and is used year-round by both overnight and day visitors to Yosemite Valley.

The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive plan for phased, long-term rehabilitation of The Ahwahnee National Historic Landmark hotel and associated guest cottages, employee dormitory, and landscaped grounds in order to:

  • Enhance visitor and employee safety by bringing the building and grounds into compliance with current building, fire, life-safety, and seismic standards.
  • Restore, preserve, and protect the historic integrity and character-defining features of The Ahwahnee by rehabilitating aged or altered historic finishes and contributing landscape features.
  • Improve hotel operations and energy efficiency by repairing or replacing outdated or inefficient building systems and components.
  • Protect and enhance the visitor experience at The Ahwahnee through improved operationsl efficiency, increased accessibility and rehabilitation of historic resources.

After completing various studies (e.g., seismic study, cultural resource reports) and conducting a comprehensive design process, the environmental impacts of four proposed alternatives were presented in an environmental assessment released July 2011. On January 3, 2012, the National Park Service signed a Finding of No Significant Impact identifying Alternative 3 as the Selected Action.

Did You Know?

Vernal and Nevada Falls

In Yosemite Valley, dropping over 594-foot Nevada Fall and then 317-foot Vernal Fall, the Merced River creates what is known as the “Giant Staircase.” Such exemplary stair-step river morphology is characterized by a large variability in river movement and flow, from quiet pools to the dramatic drops of the waterfalls themselves.