A sense of place: Ecoregional design at Mesa Verde National Park

Abstract

When the National Park Service was established in 1916, the new agency inherited an architectural legacy developed by private interests, particularly the railroads. This legacy included Northern Pacific's Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone and Santa Fe's El Tovar at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, both built in the Swiss Chalet­Norway Villa tradition. This historical precedent - borrowing attractive yet incongruous design themes from the Old World with little regard for the natural setting - was inherited by the designers of the structures at Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park. Yet, rather than follow tradition, principal designers husband and wife Jesse and Aileen Nusbaum became the first to incorporate surrounding ecological themes into the design of a National Park structure, not only setting a new precedent, but creating a clear sense of design purpose that would contribute significantly to the nation's architectural heritage.

Citation

Bailey, Robert G. 2012. A sense of place: Ecoregional design at Mesa Verde National Park. American Bungalow. 73: 62-73.