Paradise near Ashford in Pierce County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Paradise Inn
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 2016
1. Paradise Inn Marker
Advertised as a place "where the flowers and the glaciers meet,” Paradise Inn opened on July 4, 1917. Here tourists arrived wearing long skirts and woolen traveling suits, "seeking a renewal of spirit in the vast world out-of-doors.”
Today, entering the grand lobby or the dining room with the large timbers and massive stone fireplaces is like stepping back into an earlier era. The rustic style of architecture is typical of early National Park Service buildings. Now designated a National Historic Landmark, the Inn is shown here in 1920.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Landmarks • Notable Buildings • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the National Historic Landmarks series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 1, 1917.
Location. 46° 47.207′ N, 121° 44.068′ W. Marker is near Ashford, Washington, in Pierce County. It is in Paradise. Marker can be reached from Paradise Road East. Marker is located on the west side of the subject Paradise Inn, near the north end of the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ashford WA 98304, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this
this page online
More about this marker. Marker is a framed composite plaque, mounted at waist-level on a metal post, overlooking the west side of the Paradise Inn.
Regarding Paradise Inn. National Register of Historic Places & National Historic Landmark #87001336 (1987)
Also see . . .
1. Paradise Inn. National Register of Historic Places digital entry (Submitted on January 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Paradise Inn (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
Paradise Inn is a historic hotel built in 1916 at 5,400-foot on the south slope of Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, United States. The inn is named after Paradise, the area of the mountain in which it is located. Native building(Submitted on January 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)materials were used including cedar shingles, native rock and weathered timbers salvaged from a fire in 1885. After 30 years of aging the timbers had developed a silver sheen. The original building is two stories tall. Two rooms, the great hall and the dining room take up most of the ground floor. The great hall is 50 by 112 feet and has a wrap-around mezzanine level. The dining room is 51 by 105 feet and has a 50 feet high stone fireplace.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 4, 20162. Paradise Inn MarkerOverlooking west side of the Paradise Inn from north end of parking lot.
3. Paradise Inn on Mount Rainier opens on July 1, 1917 (HistoryLink). Excerpt:
On July 1, 1917, a rustic and romantic park hotel, the Paradise Inn, located in Mount Rainier's beautiful Paradise Valley, holds its grand opening and the event's many attendees have the opportunity to examine what is the one of the Pacific Northwest's first high-elevation mountain resorts - which is also among America's very first ski resorts. Over the decades, numerous upgrades and changes have been made to the original building. Yet many vintage features remain. Among them are a cavernous lobby with massive river-rock fireplaces; built-in peeled-log benches; a second-story mezzanine with log railings; and much decorative woodwork.(Submitted on January 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2015
3. Paradise Inn (west side; main entrance)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2015
4. Paradise Inn Great Hall
from Paradise Inn Restaurant Menu: The beams and pillars surrounding you are the originals. They are highly prized Alaska yellow cedar, logged inside the park a few miles away from the site of an 1885 forest fire. No power equipment or diesel cranes were used, but rather logs were hand hoisted using ropes and pulleys. Notches and wooden pegs instead of nails held the pillars and beams in place. Likewise, the three massive rock fireplaces were lifted, laid and mortared by man power rather than machines.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2015
5. Paradise Inn Great Hall: Table, Grandfather Clock & Fireplace
from Paradise Inn Restaurant Menu: A local German furniture craftsman, Hans Fraehnke, was employed in 1916 to construct lobby furniture. He labored seven summers and one winter fashioning massive pieces out of Alaska yellow cedar. The old craftsman worked by lamplight, fashioning the hand-hewn cedar with an adz. The huge 1500 lb. tables at each end of the lobby and the regal throne-like chairs still in the lobby today are Fraehnke's work. In the southwest corner of the great hall is probably Fraehnke's most impressive piece, a 14-foot tall hand hewed cedar grandfather clock.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 16, 2015
6. Paradise Inn Piano
from "Paradise Inn Piano Facts": The cedar encased 7-foot tall upright piano played every evening and Sunday afternoons was another of Hans Fraehnke's artistic pieces. Guests, including President Harry S. Truman, have plunked on the piano for nearly 100 seasons.
Postcard published by Leland Lund, Tacoma and printed by Curt Teich Co., circa 1920
7. Paradise Inn , Rainier National Park , Washington
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 180 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 31, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7. submitted on February 3, 2019. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
