Rangers' Club Architecture

Rangers' Club

Quick Facts

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

The Rangers' Club was the first structure build in the National Park Service Rustic architecture style. Stephen T. Mather, the first director of the National Park Service, employed park rangers to guide tourists and protect the park from poachers. In 1920, Mather hired architect Charles Sumner to construct a home for members of his newly organized ranger force, paying $39,380 for the building out of his own pocket. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 for significance in the development of the Rustic style and is still in use today as a home for seasonal rangers.

Sumner designed a large, modified chalet with wood shingles and steeply pitched roofs. Instead of leaving simple corners, every edge of the building is defined with heavy log pilasters, strengthening the connection between the building and surrounding forest edges. The steep roofs shed the winter snows and emphasized the structure's verticality—an homage to the surrounding mountains.

Rangers’ Club is a private residence, do not approach the building or disturb the residents.