LeConte Memorial Lodge
Encyclopedia
The LeConte Memorial Lodge is a structure in Yosemite National Park
in California
, United States
. LeConte is spelled variously as Le Conte or as Leconte. The lodge was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1987.
in 1903 in memory of Joseph LeConte
, one of the founding members of the Sierra Club, who died in 1901. The US $
4,500 cost to build the Lodge was contributed by students, alumni and faculty from the University of California
and Stanford University
, San Francisco businesses, and friends and relatives of LeConte. The Sierra Club levied a $1.00 assessment on each of its members to help raise the funds.
The Lodge was constructed at the base of Glacier Point
in Curry Village and was dedicated on July 3, 1904. In 1919, the lodge was moved west in the Yosemite Valley to its current location across from Housekeeping Camp
. For four years from 1920, Ansel Adams
served as the lodge's summer custodian.
. White's design reflected the vertical nature, color and texture of Yosemite Valley by featuring a steep, pitched roof, rough-hewn granite stone walls and exposed beams.
The lodge's initial construction predates the National Park Serice's later emphasis on rustic construction, and marks a transition from formal European design prototypes to a design philosophy more alignhed with locale and native building materials.
The Lodge served as the first visitors center in Yosemite National Park but has since been replaced by a larger National Park Service
facility near Yosemite Village
. Today, the Lodge is owned by the National Park Service and is operated by the Sierra Club as a conservation and natural history library, a museum on the life of Joseph LeConte and the history of the Sierra Club, and a lecture hall.
pattern, unlike most stone park structures which were built using rubble coursing. The Y-shaped building, set at the base of a cliff, is entered by a small porch at the center of the Y. A steeply-pitched gable roof is defined at the ends with parapets. The small wings have substantially lower height. The roof is supported by exposed hammer beam
s that in turn support scissors truss
es. The interior is divided into three rooms, with a main meeting room in the base of the Y and two smaller rooms in the angled arms. The main meeting room has two levels, with an intimate lower section next to the fireplace opposite the entrance.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. LeConte is spelled variously as Le Conte or as Leconte. The lodge was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1987.
History
The LeConte Memorial Lodge was built by the Sierra ClubSierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
in 1903 in memory of Joseph LeConte
Joseph LeConte
Joseph Le Conte was an American geologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
, one of the founding members of the Sierra Club, who died in 1901. The US $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4,500 cost to build the Lodge was contributed by students, alumni and faculty from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, San Francisco businesses, and friends and relatives of LeConte. The Sierra Club levied a $1.00 assessment on each of its members to help raise the funds.
The Lodge was constructed at the base of Glacier Point
Glacier Point
thumb|right|upright|Glacier Point, as seen from [[Yosemite Valley]]. In springtime, this cliff face is covered with dozens of freshets and tiny waterfalls from the snowmelt, the largest being [[Staircase Falls]]....
in Curry Village and was dedicated on July 3, 1904. In 1919, the lodge was moved west in the Yosemite Valley to its current location across from Housekeeping Camp
Housekeeping Camp
Located in the Yosemite Valley, Housekeeping Camp is a cheaper lodging option for visitors to Yosemite National Park. The lodging is somewhere between camping and staying in a hotel where there are 3 concrete walls enclosing beds covered by canvas rooftops and one curtain wall...
. For four years from 1920, Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams
Ansel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
served as the lodge's summer custodian.
Design
Architect John White designed the Lodge. The design was influenced by his brother-in-law, Bernard MaybeckBernard Maybeck
Bernard Ralph Maybeck was a architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley...
. White's design reflected the vertical nature, color and texture of Yosemite Valley by featuring a steep, pitched roof, rough-hewn granite stone walls and exposed beams.
The Lodge served as the first visitors center in Yosemite National Park but has since been replaced by a larger National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
facility near Yosemite Village
Yosemite Village, California
Yosemite Village is an unincorporated community in Mariposa County, California. It is located northeast of Mariposa, at an elevation of 3996 feet ....
. Today, the Lodge is owned by the National Park Service and is operated by the Sierra Club as a conservation and natural history library, a museum on the life of Joseph LeConte and the history of the Sierra Club, and a lecture hall.
Description
The Tudor Revival lodge is built of rough-shaped granite in a rough-coursed ashlarAshlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
pattern, unlike most stone park structures which were built using rubble coursing. The Y-shaped building, set at the base of a cliff, is entered by a small porch at the center of the Y. A steeply-pitched gable roof is defined at the ends with parapets. The small wings have substantially lower height. The roof is supported by exposed hammer beam
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
s that in turn support scissors truss
Scissors truss
A scissors truss is a kind of truss used primarily in buildings, in which the bottom chord members cross each other, connecting to the angled top chords at a point intermediate on the top chords' length, creating an appearance similar to an opened pair of scissors...
es. The interior is divided into three rooms, with a main meeting room in the base of the Y and two smaller rooms in the angled arms. The main meeting room has two levels, with an intimate lower section next to the fireplace opposite the entrance.