Parsons Memorial Lodge facts for kids
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Parsons Memorial Lodge
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California |
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| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | Bernard Maybeck; Mark H. White |
| Architectural style | National Park Service Rustic |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000283 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 30, 1979 |
| Designated NHL | May 28, 1987 |
The Parsons Memorial Lodge is a special small building in Yosemite National Park. It was built a long time ago in 1915 by a group called the Sierra Club. You can find it in the beautiful area known as Tuolumne Meadows. This lodge is important because it was one of the very first buildings made of stone in any national park!
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Why the Lodge Was Built
This lodge was built to remember a man named Edward Taylor Parsons. He was from New York and joined the Sierra Club around 1900. Later, he became the club's director from 1905 to 1914.
Parsons worked hard to protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley. This valley was going to be flooded to create a water supply for San Francisco. Sadly, the fight to save the valley was lost.
Edward Parsons passed away in 1914. To honor him, the Sierra Club started a special fund. They wanted to build a place in Yosemite where club members could meet, have a library, and set up their headquarters.
The club chose the spot in Tuolumne Meadows for the lodge. It was easy to reach from the park's backcountry. It was also close to Soda Springs, a place the Sierra Club wanted to protect.
Who Designed the Lodge?
It's not completely clear who designed the Parsons Memorial Lodge. At the time it was finished, Mark White was given credit. He was a partner in an architecture firm called Maybeck and White. Mark White was also a member of the Sierra Club.
Some experts, like Gray Brechln and Kenneth Cardwell, think that a famous architect named Bernard Maybeck was involved. They noticed that the lodge looks similar to other buildings Maybeck designed, especially those near Lake Tahoe. They believe Maybeck might have created the first ideas for the design. Then, Mark White and his brother John helped develop those ideas into the final plans. John White later designed another famous building, the LeConte Memorial Lodge.
What the Lodge Looks Like
The Parsons Memorial Lodge is a one-story stone building. It's about 1,400-square-foot (130 m2) in size. You can usually visit it only from June through October each year.
The walls are made of rough stones, called rubble masonry. They have a concrete center. The builders used local pink feldspar and gray granite stones. The walls are very thick, starting at three feet wide at the bottom and getting a bit narrower at the top.
The main door has a rounded arch and is made of heavy stonework. The roof is low and gently sloped. It's built with peeled logs that are about 18 inches (46 cm) wide. These logs are like the vigas found in old Southwestern American buildings. Smaller peeled logs, called latias, lie across the main logs. On top of these are roofing paper and a metal surface.
Inside the lodge, there's a huge fireplace on the north wall, right across from the entrance. There are also two windows on the east, west, and south walls. Each window has a bench underneath it.
Changes to the Lodge Over Time
The lodge has been changed a little bit since it was built. In 1935, a concrete floor was put in. Before that, it seems the floor was just dirt. Wooden surfaces were added over the stone benches. Also, nails were put into the windows and shutters to keep bears away!
The lodge is still used today. However, it is now managed by the National Park Service. The Parsons Memorial Lodge shows how architects like Bernard Maybeck used Bay Area design ideas. They adapted them to handle the extreme weather in the high valleys of Yosemite. It is also a great example of National Park Service Rustic style.
A National Historic Landmark
Because of its importance and unique design, the Parsons Memorial Lodge was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
