File:Grand Canyon National Park 0507 01458 Bright Angel Lodge (4761251203).jpg

Grand Canyon National Park Historic District: South Rim. With the completion of the Desert View Watchtower in 1932, Mary Colter started work on Bright Angel Lodge. It was to be located on what was then Bright Angel Camp, with its old hotel and clusters of cabins and tents. Bright Angel Camp had been built by James Thurber in the 1890’s. The design concept of Bright Angel Lodge was unique for park visitors throughout the west. Its mission was to provide moderately priced accommodations for tourists with moderate incomes.

Bright Angel Lodge, built by Myers Brothers Construction Company from Los Angeles, was dedicated on June 22, 1935. It followed the general theme of the El Tovar Hotel, boasting curio shops, a restaurant, and an openframed lobby with peeled log supports. It also had a cluster of cabins to the west which included some with historical significance, such as Buckey O’Neill Cabin and Red Horse Station. To the west of the lobby was the lounge with two large picture windows framing the canyon. Inside the lounge was the famous ten foot high geologic fireplace, designed by Mary Colter, representing the rocks and order of strata inside the canyon. The top of the fireplace is constructed of Kaibab Limestone found on the rim of the canyon. The base of the fireplace has smooth river stones from the bottom of the canyon. Each stone was carefully selected from the strata inside the canyon and packed out by mule. Mary Colter decorated the lobby with various styles of period hats including Pancho Villa’s sombrero.

Mary Colter was always particular about the colors used in her buildings. The color she had selected for the interior trim of the Bright Angel was a particular shade of blue. Her insistence on the right shade prompted the painters to call it ‘Mary Jane Blue.’ The opening of the lodge was celebrated by a barbecue with 2,000 people in attendance. NPS Photo by Michael Quinn.