Crater Lake Historic Resource Study

X. Construction of Government Buildings and Landscaping in Crater Lake National Park (continued)

K. Important Additions to Headquarters Complex in 1932

By 1932 no administration building per se had yet been provided for the park. Up to 1924 the administrative office had been located in an old two-room ranger station on the Annie Spring plaza. In that year the office was moved to park headquarters into an old log bunkhouse erected about 1912 by army engineers engaged in road work. This building was a temporary structure to house road gangs, but lack of appropriations had compelled its conversion to office purposes by the addition of a small log wing in 1925. Besides being too small, "it is dark, cold, drafty, dirty and verminous and . . . a disgrace to the Government." [39] In 1933 $18,000 was alotted for the erection of a new building, but not until the spring of 1934 was the old log Administration Building razed so that construction could begin on the new one. [40]

As stated earlier, Merel Sager intended that all the service, visitor facility, and residential structures at Crater Lake share certain common features, primarily stone masonry walls that provided good insulation and steeply pitched shingle roofs. The roofs not only blended in with the surrounding tall forest but also shed snow more easily. The use of large native stones in construction required detailed planning and the work was carried out in accordance with strict guidelines in order to achieve the desired effect. A variety of rockwork, of the proper scale, Lent interest and pleasing patterns. Bedding planes were made horizontal rather than vertical. Informality was achieved by laying the rocks in uneven courses. Larger rocks were used near the base of a structure but sometimes appeared in the upper portions, so that a variety of sizes was common to the whole surface. When logs were used, their bark was removed, both because it tended to come off anyway in time and because when Left on, the wood was subject to deterioration through insects and rot. Heavy roofs were needed to balance the look of the heavy rock walls; thick wooden shingles or shakes created a feeling of weight and durability. [41]

The use of very large wall stones, some of which in the government headquarters buildings were fifteen cubic feet in volume, required new building techniques:

First, a wooden formwork outlining the interior surface of the outside walls was erected atop a concrete and stone foundation. This form was sufficiently sturdy to support the frame of the second floor roof gable. While the second floor was being constructed, work went forward on the masonry walls. One by one, massive boulders weighing hundreds of pounds each were lifted into place, leaving a space of a few inches between the back of the stones and the wooden formwork. This space was filled with concrete. After the masonry had been completed, the interior form was removed, leaving behind a smooth interior concrete wall finish with nailing strips imbedded within it. When the interior formwork was removed, the weight of the second story and roof was transferred to the masonry walls. [42]

Some of the irregular stones near the bottoms of the walls were five feet across, and smaller ones near the tops of the walls often measured two to three feet in diameter.

1. Administration Building

The new administration building was to be a permanent structure built to the established standards of a rough stone first story with rustic superstructure. It was to be 100 feet long and 40 feet wide of native stone to blend with other buildings in the Government Camp area. The lower floor would include a large room for the clerical department, measuring 42 by 15 feet, with a northern exposure. Also on the main floor would be space for the offices of the superintendent, assistant superintendent, timekeeper, and information department, and for a conference room. The main entrance would lead into a public lobby, with a fireplace and veneered walls. Corridors would lead off to the right and left to offices. The upper floor of the 1-1/2-story building was to have six offices and two storage rooms. It was hoped the building could be occupied by the next year. [43]

During construction of this building, some difficulty was experienced in getting a good distribution of color in the rockwork, but the hardest task was to keep out the unnatural shapes, such as were caused by trimming rocks around the windows or when fitting rocks together. The only way to avoid masons resorting to the trimming was either to have an inspector constantly on the job or else make detailed drawings showing each rock, both of which were expensive solutions. Rather than use thin flat slabs for window sills, rocks similar to those in the rest of the building were used. The specifications called for split shakes on the roof, such as were used on the Ranger Dormitory. Francis Lange, the Emergency Conservation Work landscape architect, and the superintendent felt that sawed shakes of greater thickness and with more surface exposed to the weather would look better with the heavy rock walls and that the slightly increased cost would be offset by decreased maintenance. Use of these shakes proved impracticable due to lack of funds, but it was possible to get enough shingles to put under the shakes so that somewhat the same effect was achieved. Every fifth course a double shingle was placed under the shakes giving a heavier line that did much to relieve the monotony of the vast expanse of roof. The superintendent hoped that in the future all new buildings in the park would have the thick sawed shakes specified for the roofs, and that as reroofing was necessary on older buildings, the same would be used. [44]

Illustration 47. Ranger dormitory and grading activities for new headquarters building, Munson Valley. Courtesy Crater Lake National Park.

2. Superintendent's Residence

This structure was located in the residential group at Government Camp and constructed of native stones, many of which were obtained on or near the site. Steel sash was used throughout the building. The first floor consisted of a living room with fireplace of rough, burnt lava rock, a dining room, kitchen, entrance hall, and bedroom with bath. The second floor consisted of four bedrooms with two bathrooms, and a two-car garage was situated under the south wing. The stonework conformed in character to that of the two employee residences constructed at Crater Lake in 1931 and consisted of rough-finished, weathered-surface native stone, laid in cement mortar composed of one part Portland cement and three parts clean, sharp sand. The stonework was laid against the inside wood forms with the rough stone faces toward the forms, allowing a minimum thickness of two inches of concrete grouting, following the general method of construction established on the employees' residences. The building was to be framed in Douglas fir and the roof covered with cedar shakes. [45]

3. Naturalist's Residence

This structure, also in the residential area at Government Camp, contained a living room with fireplace, a kitchen, breakfast room, and bedroom with bath downstairs, and three bedrooms and bath upstairs. Specifications for building this structure were the same as for the Superintendent's Residence.

4. Ranger Dormitory (Club House)

Sager believed that the Ranger Dorm, with careful planting in the future, would be "an example of excellent adaptability to surroundings." [46]

Its roof was green and the limited amount of siding was brown. Native stones of a good size gave the building a rugged, substantial appearance, as did the steel sash. The first floor contained two living rooms, each with a stone fireplace. The larger room was for men, the smaller for women. There were also three rooms and a shower for women on the south end. The remainder of the first floor included an entrance hall and four rooms, three with private baths. A basement lay under the central portion of the building. The second floor had four bedrooms, a large eighteen by thirty-four-foot dormitory room, a dark room, storage room, and shower room.

5. Final Field Activity in 1932

It was also planned in 1932 to erect a log cabin ranger station similar to the one at Annie Spring on the site of the cabin at Lost Creek, 3.2 miles west of the east park entrance at the junction of the Kerr Notch-park headquarters roads. This cabin was an old light-frame building constructed as a temporary mess house for road construction crews and later used as a checking station. The new building would house two rangers for checking duty, protection, and fire patrol in that section of the park. [47]

Final 1932 field activities relating to building construction included:

a) Employee's Quarters (Naturalist's Residence): in the residential area at Government Camp, of stone with rustic superstructure with a shake roof. Completed spring of 1933.

b) Oil House at Government Camp: in utility area at headquarters. Native stone building with rustic superstructure and shake roof, and floor and walls of concrete. This and the machine shop building below shared design features of other structures at headquarters. It was equipped with a power gasoline pump and three water connections.

c) Superintendent's Residence: measuring 61 x 33 feet, located at upper end of residential area at headquarters. Stone with rustic superstructure and shake roof. Completed in spring of 1933.

d) Machine Shop and Utility Shed at Government Camp: located in utility area at headquarters. Native stone building 30 x 60 feet with rustic superstructure and shake roof. First floor to be used as machine shop, second and third floors as bunkhouse. The second floor had showers and toilets. Converted to firehall in 1950s. The second floor later became an employee community club.

e) Ranger Dormitory (Club House): in headquarters area, stone with rustic superstructure and shake roof. Completed in 1934. [48]

L. Civilian Conservation Corps Work Performed in Park

The ultimate direction of development in the parks became an important issue due to the increase in construction activity during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. To ensure that this activity was proceeding in an orderly fashion, long-term planning was essential.

Serious work along this line began in FY 1931, and resulted in the preparation by Vint and Sager of a master plan program for the National Park Service. The first Service master plans were six-year ones to be revised each year as work was completed. Each landscape architect was responsible for developing plans for his particular field areas. By mid-1932 plans were either finished or underway for all the western parks and monuments. By Franklin Roosevelt's inauguration in March 1933, each national park and monument already had an advance planning program prepared by the Branch of Plans and Design, consisting of sheets showing existing and proposed development in each area of the park or monument, the specific development plans to extend through FY 1939.

Park Service interests continued to be favored under the new administration, because Roosevelt wanted to incorporate the needs and expertise of the Service into his relief programs. He introduced the concept of a Civilian Conservation Corps immediately after taking office, and in March 1933 the Emergency Conservation Work (E.C.W.) Act was inaugurated. Under this plan, the Department of Labor recruited young men, the War Department organized and transported them, and the Departments of Agriculture and Interior put them to work. The National Park Service received enrollees through the Interior allotment. The bureaus who were to administer the field work, including the NPS, felt the CCC could do more than simple manual labor, but the latter's landscape professionals made it clear from the beginning that emergency park development would be carried out under the same standards as previous work and be controlled by landscape architects. By mid-summer, seventy CCC camps were underway in national parks and monuments. [49]

The NPS field landscape architects were deeply involved with the CCC program in the parks, but the CCC did not at first fully participate in all phases of NPS programs. The CCC was not a major builder of rustic structures in the beginning, primarily because the techniques required in rustic construction were thought to be too complex for unskilled young enrollees. Also restricting their participation in larger building projects was an administrative order that structures erected by the CCC could not cost over $1,500. At first, therefore, enrollees in western parks labored only on roads and trails. As CCC organization improved and the skills of its young men became better identified, however, enrollees became involved in minor structural projects. During the first summer, these consisted mainly of small, wood frame buildings of simple design. Many were intended for temporary use by the CCC, but others were permanent NPS structures. Generally the permanent park buildings were not intended for public view and use and were therefore not highly stylized. Designed by the Landscape Division, these maintenance sheds, barns, and cabins were usually non-intrusive only to the extent that they possessed rough-sawed wood exteriors and were finished in various tones of brown or gray.

Illustration 48. CCC Camp, Annie Spring, 1934. Removed 1942. Courtesy Crater Lake National Park.

Illustration 49. Frame residence, Lost Creek, Bldg. 177, 1956. Courtesy Crater Lake National Park.

The creation of the Public Works Administration in June 1933 temporarily diverted attempts to make the early CCC a major factor in the park development program. Created as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act, the PWA had many responsibilities, including the awarding of grants to federal agencies for the construction of roads, buildings, water systems, and other physical improvements. Through these programs the PWA hoped to stimulate industrial production and the employment of skilled labor and thereby rehabilitate the general economy. Roosevelt wanted the PWA grants allocated as quickly as possible, so the PWA turned first to those federal agencies that had already prepared construction plans. The NPS forwarded major portions of each park's six-year master plan to the new agency as soon as it invited project proposals, so the first PWA building allotments included over 100 major building projects in the western national parks and monuments. Those structures erected in western parks with funds granted in the July and September 1933 PWA allotments represent a significant chapter in the history of national park building design and construction. Although these allotments included funds for such often unimaginative projects as equipment sheds, garages, and campgrounds, they also provided for over 150 permanent structures that had been designed as part of the master plan process prior to creation of the PWA. These buildings were products of the Branch of Plans and Design team Vint had assembled since 1927. They often differed stylistically, but basically followed the non-intrusive design patterns that Vint had perfected, requiring that each structure be individually designed for its specific site. [50]

Despite the large scale of the PWA program in the national parks already by 1933 to 1934, pressure continued from many field personnel to take advantage of the structural development potential of the CCC. The response of NPS landscape architects and the CCC administrative staff to this question varied considerably in different parks, but at Crater Lake enrollees did become involved in larger structural projects and in landscaping under the supervision of NPS architects.