Bryce Canyon Lodge

The railroad

A railroad built the lodge to bring tourists to three parks

The Utah Parks Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, built the lodge, and T. E. Fitzgerald, a noted hotel manager in the region, opened it. The railroad wanted tourist traffic to Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon, so it put a destination hotel at each park.

Underwood

Local timber and stone, raised between 1924 and 1925

Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood was in charge of the design of the Union Pacific hotels. At Bryce, building started in 1924 and was finished in the early summer of 1925. The lodge stands on a stone base, with log framing that was made oversized on purpose.

1924 to 1925Years the lodge was built

The roof

The shingles run in waves, so the roof seems to be in motion

Underwood designed an unusual shingling pattern in which the lower edges of the shingle courses form irregular, wave-like patterns. It creates an optical illusion that the roof is warped, or in motion. Each re-roofing has copied the original pattern, to keep the trademarks of the original builders and of Underwood's design.

The wings

Guest wings in 1926, an auditorium in 1927, a dormitory upstairs

The guest wings were added in 1926 and the auditorium in 1927. The second floor was the dormitory for women employees of the lodge. Five deluxe cabins were built in 1927, and ten more were completed by 1929.

The last one

The only original Underwood lodge left, after Cedar Breaks fell

Bryce Canyon Lodge is the only completely original structure Underwood designed for Bryce Canyon, Zion and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that remains. His small Cedar Breaks Lodge was razed in 1972. Protests over that demolition made the Park Service re-examine its policies on lodges in other parks. Bryce Canyon Lodge was declared a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987.

1972Year the Cedar Breaks Lodge was razed