LeConte Memorial Lodge

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Leconte Memorial Lodge
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Exterior of the LeConte Memorial Lodge
Exterior of the LeConte Memorial Lodge
Location: Curry Village, California
Coordinates: 37°44′24.39″N 119°34′42.32″W / 37.7401083, -119.5784222Coordinates: 37°44′24.39″N 119°34′42.32″W / 37.7401083, -119.5784222
Built/Founded: 1903
Architect: White,John
Architectural style(s): Tudor Revival, Other
Designated as NHL: May 28, 1987[1]
Added to NRHP: March 08, 1977[2]
NRHP Reference#: 77000148
Governing body: Private

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.[1],[3],[4]

The LeConte Memorial Lodge was built by the Sierra Club in 1903 in honor of Joseph LeConte, one of the founding members of the Sierra Club. 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.

Architect John White designed the Lodge. The designs was influenced by his brother-in-law, Bernard Maybeck. 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.

Interior of the Lodge. A bas-relief of Joseph LeConte is over the fireplace.
Interior of the Lodge. A bas-relief of Joseph LeConte is over the fireplace.

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 east in the Yosemite Valley to its current location across from Housekeeping Camp. In 1987, the Lodge was designated as a National Historic Landmark.

The Lodge served as the first visitors center in Yosemite National Park but has since been replaced by a larger National Park Service facility near Yosemite Village.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.

[edit] References

  • LeConte Memorial Lodge (brochure). Sierra Club. 
  1. ^ a b Leconte Memorial Lodge. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service (2007-09-25).
  2. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  3. ^ ["Le Conte Memorial Lodge", 1985, by Laura Soullière HarrisonPDF (412 KiB) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination]. National Park Service (1985).
  4. ^ [Le Conte Memorial Lodge--Accompanying 6 NPS photos by Laura Soullière Harrison, exterior, from 1985.PDF (583 KiB) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination]. National Park Service (1985).

[edit] External links

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