Colter’s Rim-side Rest Houses

Feb 1

In 1914, Mary E. J. Colter designed and supervised the construction of two observatories and rest houses on the rim of the Grand Canyon. The buildings were constructed in anticipation of a surge of visitors stopping at the canyon on their way to the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco and the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego. “Two fairs for one fare!” trumpeted an ad for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway; “Plan now to go and visit Grand Canyon Arizona on the way,” directed another.

The railway’s investment in the Grand Canyon extended well beyond the canyon itself. It also created a 5.5 acre Grand Canyon exhibit at the San Francisco exposition. A newspaper report described the exhibit as “an exact replica of nature’s masterpiece.” It was reported to cost about $350,000—more than $10 million in today’s dollars.

Back in Arizona, Hermit’s Rest cost $13,000 to construct. A rustic stone and log building, it was built at the end of an eight mile-long scenic rim road leading from the Grand Canyon train depot. The Santa Fe described Hermit’s Rest as “a rest house unlike any other in the world.” Since it was tucked into the canyon’s wall, visitors first arrived on the building’s rooftop where they surveyed the spectacular view before choosing which path to take down to the entrance. (This arrival sequence no longer exists).

Under a timber-framed porch roof, glass doors and large windows blur the boundary between indoors and out. Visitors entering Hermit’s Rest are greeted by a large alcove and fireplace, with high clerestory windows bringing light into the volume of the main room. A small kitchen serving refreshments is on one side, while caretaker quarters were to the other. Outside, a stone staircase once led from the porch down the side of the canyon wall to another viewing point. (This staircase is no longer there). It is said that this overlook was one of Colter’s favorite spots at the Grand Canyon.

Colter’s other rest house and observatory also offers visitors multiple tiers of viewing opportunities. Lookout Studio (originally called The Lookout) is located in the Grand Canyon Village near several hotels and restaurants. The Lookout’s balcony was equipped with a powerful telescope, while pathways from the building into the canyon led to terraces offering panoramic views of the canyon. Perched on a promontory overlooking the canyon, the rest house “is of stone and seems a part of the rim itself,” as a US Forest Service report authors wrote in 1916.

When visitors took a break from the views, they could write letters at the Lookout’s writing tables, warm themselves by the fire, or peruse the photographs and postcards for sale. Colter decorated the interior to encourage relaxation. “A tiny rustic club is The Lookout with its bright hued Navaho rugs, electric lights, cozy fireplace and many easy chairs,” a 1915 Fred Harvey promotional brochure read.

During the 1915 Exposition year, 104,000 people visited Grand Canyon, an enormous increase from previous years. In 2019, 6,000,000 people visited. Hermit’s Rest and Lookout Studio still offer access to stunning views and peaceful places to relax.

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Sources

“Grand Canyon Replica at Fair,” The Holbrook News (Arizona), February 13, 1914, 3.

“The Grand Canyon,” Santa Fe Magazine, February 1916, 74.

The Santa Fe, “Grand Canyon Outings,” c. 1915, GRCA 98866, Grand Canyon Museum Collection.

Don P. Johnston and Aldo Leopold, Grand Canyon Working Plan: Uses, Information, Recreational Development (Approved April 9, 1917), US Forest Service, December 1916, Paragraphs 35 and 37-A, GRCA 28343, Grand Canyon Museum Collection.

Arnold Berke, Mary Colter: Architect of the Southwest. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2002.

IRMA/NPS.gov/Stats