Narada Falls Comfort Station | |
.jpg) Narada Falls Comfort Station, 2015 | |
  Narada Falls Comfort Station | |
| Location | Mt. Rainier National Park |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Paradise, Washington |
| Coordinates | 46°46′31.47″N121°44′44.65″W / 46.7754083°N 121.7457361°W /46.7754083; -121.7457361 (Narada Falls Comfort Station) |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1941 (1941) |
| Built by | National Park Service,Civilian Conservation Corps |
| Architect | Thomas Chalmers Vint |
| Architectural style | National Park Service rustic |
| Website | National Park Service - Historic Narada Falls Area |
| MPS | Mt. Rainier National Park MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000208[1][a] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 13, 1991 |
| Designated WSHR | March 13, 1991 |
TheNarada Falls Comfort Station is apublic restroom situated nearNarada Falls inMount Rainier National Park. Similar to nearbyNarada Falls Bridge, the comfort station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Constructed between 1941 and 1942, cost overruns required the combined efforts of theNational Park Service andCivilian Conservation Corps to complete the build of the structure. TheNational Park Service rustic style building, featuring stone masonry andDouglas fir siding, contains a restroom facility and an attached waiting room, known for its bench seating. At the time of the building's historic nomination, the comfort station was considered to be mostly unaltered.
Narada Falls Comfort Station was constructed in conjunction with theNational Park Service (NPS) and theCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1941 and 1942. Initial work by the NPS encountered substantial rock excavation with the subsequent cost overrun requiring the use of CCC labor to finish the project; the efforts were successful in completing the comfort station by the opening of the 1942 recreational season.[2]
The design of the station was created under the Western Region Landscape Engineering Division, with plan approval byThomas Chalmers Vint, NPS Chief of Planning.[2]
The comfort station is located north ofPinnacle Peak andPlummer Peak and south ofParadise. It lies east of theNisqually River and northeast ofLongmire. Thepublic toilet building is close toNarada Falls in the south central portion ofMt. Rainier National Park.[2][3]
The one-story, building was constructed inNational Park Service rustic style over a concrete foundation and is split into two sections, a 22 ft × 24 ft (6.7 m × 7.3 m) restroom area and a 19 ft × 30 ft (5.8 m × 9.1 m) waiting room. The structure features stone masonry walls to the window sill level, wood framed upper walls, and a slight-pitched timber framedgable roof with extendedeaves. Timber posts support the ridge beam of the station. A stone chimney with astove pipeflue projects from the roof line; the flue is the only noted alteration of the structure. Siding is lappedDouglas fir, laid horizontal at the entrance section and vertical to the right of a stone break. The partition marks the separation of the toilet facilities and the waiting area. The waiting room section contains windows that are double-hungsashes.[2]
The interior comprises a waiting room and a toilet facility separated by the stone chimney. The floor is concrete and the ceiling is exposed, showcasing thick timber rafters made necessary to carry extensive weight loads from snow accumulation. The walls aretongue-and-groove planks, reported asvarnished at the time of the NRHP nomination. A continuous wood bench lines the waiting area walls; individual benches are situated within the floor space.[2]
The Reflection Lake Snowshoe Trail begins between the comfort station and a nearby maintenance garage. The 4-mile (6.4 km) round-trip hike to the lake usually requires gear such assnowshoes or skis during the winter season.[4]
The Narada Falls Comfort Station was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on March 13, 1991. The building is part of the Mount RainierNational Historic Landmark District that encompasses the entire park; the landmark designation and the comfort station's NRHP nomination recognizes the park's inventory of National Park Service-designed rustic architecture.[2]
The comfort station was also listed with theWashington State Heritage Register on the same date.[5][6]
Media related toNarada Falls Comfort Station at Wikimedia Commons
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Lists of specific structure types | |
| Related | |
| Lists by county |   | |
|---|---|---|
| Other lists | ||
