13 / Main Lobby
This six-sided Main Lobby (a.k.a. Head House) rises 55 feet and emphasizes the harmony of wood, iron, stone and handcrafted furnishings. At its center, a hexagonal Andesite stone chimney features three fireplaces. It was built around an internal frame to keep it straight while mason workers used scaffolding to reach the ceiling. Stones were all collected from this site location and hand chiseled.
Emphasizing the pioneer wagon wheel, sturdy spoke-like beams of fir and pine extend the solid ceiling structure above. White oak floors embrace the daylight and set a comfy tone at night. Tall standing wrought-iron floor lamps and the iron ceiling chandeliers accent parchment shades. Original shades were rawhide.
The impactful Cascade architecture showcases more mountain-inspired curved arches. Trucked in from Washington State’s Gifford Pinchot National forest are six great Ponderosa Pine columns. Henry Steiner hand hewed these columns into hexagonal shapes from the raw timbers with hand tools, a broadax and foot adze. Furnishings are either the original frames or re-creations in original styles, such as the hexagonal wood-iron couches, hexagonal wood tables, wood lobby chairs, desks and tables. Replaced upholstery and drapery fabrics continue to be woven in patterns and colors in the spirit of the originals.
Start counter-clockwise to the South to see original paintings, carved wood murals and access to the summertime Observation Deck. Keep following the hexagon flow past the Cascade Dining Room, access to the C.S. Price Wing and outdoor patio.
Carved wooden Newel Posts of Beaver, Black Bear, Fox, Lynx, Mallard with Broken Wing, Owl and Western Kingfisher by WPA carvers, 1936-37
Plaster molds created by Florence Thomas, 1936-37
Iron handrails by WPA blacksmiths 1937
Couches, chairs, tables, desks by WPA wood workers 1937, some are replicated by local wood workers 1980s
Chandeliers and floor lamps in Main Lobby by WPA blacksmiths, 1937
LOCATION: FIRST FLOOR MAIN LOBBY
WOOD- STONE- IRON- TEXTILES- FURNISHINGS- LIGHT FIXTURES