Oregon Caves Historic Structures Report

PART I
Site and Building History (continued)

General Physical Description

The Chateau sits on a reinforced concrete foundation in the head of the canyon formed by Caves Creek. The building site was blasted to clear a large enough site. The first floor, containing the boiler room and workshop, is smaller in scale than the floors above, matching the topography of the site. Its walls and floor are bare concrete that taper inward, creating a narrower space at the east end of the room than the west. A hole has been cut high in the north wall of this room, providing access under the north wing of the building. The south wall has an opening cut for the boiler exhaust vent that runs under the second floor to the base of the chimney. The west wall is penetrated by two windows and a double door providing access to the small exterior terrace. The ceiling is also formed of concrete, with reinforced beams as an integral part of the structure.

The second floor houses storage areas, limited employee housing, the employee dining room, and large refrigerators and freezers. This level is more expansive than the first, widening to fill the entire width of the valley head inside the road. The floors and exterior walls are constructed of reinforced concrete. The post and beam structural system begins at this level, resting on the exterior walls of the first floor and four columns placed in the middle of the space below. The base of the marble chimney is visible at this level, appearing as a large, stuccoed, rectangular masonry mass in the south wing. Openings on this floor are concentrated on the west side, with a series of double-hung windows in the employee dining room and employee quarters. A double swinging door is present at the west end of the south wing, providing access to an exterior terrace. One opening is present at the east side of the south wing that has been boarded over. The internal walls of this level are framed conventionally with dimensional lumber, and the north wall of the north wing has a wood frame wall running its entire length covering the exterior concrete wall. A dogleg stair in the center of the floor at the west side leads up into the dining room.

The third floor has a combination of structural systems. The exterior walls on the north and south sides are concrete, with the east and west walls making the transition from concrete to wood. The kitchen, dining room, coffee shop, and lounge/bar area are contained in this floor, as well as a dumbwaiter to the second floor, men's restroom, and the conduit containing the diversion of Caves Creek that runs through the space from east to west, a signature element of the building. The dining room and lounge areas are a single open space supported by the wooden post and beam structural system. The kitchen and dining room are separated by light wood framed walls, with two doors between the rooms. The kitchen is separated from the coffee shop by the fireplace mass and a freezer. Circulation between these rooms is achieved through a set of double doors. Exterior penetrations include three doors to the west, two to the east leading to the pond and courtyard, and a series of windows on each of these sides. The windows at this level are primarily large fixed windows with rows of smaller lites above the large pane. The main vertical circulation for guests starts at this level with a large staircase leading up to the lobby level.

The fourth floor, containing the lobby, office, front desk, and five guest rooms is entirely wood framed with either heavy timber or dimensional lumber. The lobby consumes most of the south wing and center sections of the building, with the office and front desk at the east end of the south wing. The guest rooms are located in the north wing, and a women's restroom is present in the northwest corner of the central trapezoidal section. The main entrance to the structure is located on the south side of the southern wing. The lobby windows are primarily large fixed panes with smaller lites across the top, similar to those in the dining room. The office windows and windows in the guest rooms are primarily double hung wood windows. The interior walls of the guest rooms and the partitions separating the office from the lobby are light wood framed with dimensional lumber, as are the exterior walls. The lobby and stair area contains the heavy timber system, supporting the floors above. The post and beam system ends at the ceiling of this level, and the floors above are constructed entirely of dimensional lumber.

The fifth floor is accessed from the main staircase that starts in the dining room and continues up through the lobby. The staircase is constructed with peeled log stringers supporting oak treads and a madrone and fir handrail. The floor contains eight single guest rooms and three suites composed of two adjoining rooms. Double hung windows are the primary fenestration, and two fire doors lead out from the west end of both the north and south wings onto the steel fire escapes. This level is the last full size floor in the building, as the roof shape constricts the size of the top floor.

The sixth floor, the top floor of the building, is reached via a stair in the south end of the fifth floor hallway. The floor contains two guest suites and seven individual rooms, although only five are in use for this purpose. The fenestration at this level is a combination of double hung and casement windows, with two doors leading out to the fire escape in the two unused guest rooms. Access to the attic is available through two hatches in the ceiling of the hallway at this level, and the lower attics are accessible through doors at the ends of the hallway and through access panels in the bath rooms of the south wing.

The roof is covered with cedar shingles, and has its own sprinkler system. It is formed by a variety of intersecting roof shapes, including a main gable with cross gables at the north and south wings, shed roof projections at the sixth floor, and a few small dormers. An access hatch is located just above the chimney, which is exposed marble with six clay tile flues. The valleys are open, containing crimped flashing. The rafter tails are visible at the eaves, and log brackets support the gable ends. The overhangs are large, and the building does not have a gutter system. A painted verge board is present at the gable ends.

The exterior walls are sheathed with shiplap covered by building paper. Port Orford cedar bark is the primary exterior cladding, and is nailed to the sheathing. Openings at windows and doors possess simple surrounds, and all windows have weathered wood sills. A steel catwalk and fire escape system are present on the west façade, lag bolted to the building. The bottom two floors on the west side are the only ones lacking the Port Orford cedar bark siding, and are painted concrete.

orca/hsr/hsr1d.htm
Last Updated: 22-Sep-2001