Paradise Inn
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The Paradise Inn's great room interior
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Location | Mount Rainier National Park |
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Coordinates | 46°47′5.93″N 121°43′57.51″W / 46.7849806°N 121.7326417°WCoordinates: 46°47′5.93″N 121°43′57.51″W / 46.7849806°N 121.7326417°W |
Built | 1916 |
Architect | Heath,Grove & Bell; Rainier National Park Co. |
Architectural style | Other |
NRHP Reference # | 87001336 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 28, 1987 |
Designated NHL | May 28, 1987 |
Paradise Inn is a historic hotel built in 1916 at 5,400-foot (1,600 m) 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. The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and the 1920 Paradise Guide House are also at this location. The inn and guide house are where many climbers start their ascent of the mountain. The inn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a major component of the Paradise Historic District. Additionally, it is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District, which encompasses the entire park and which recognizes the park's inventory of National Park Service rustic architecture.
The inn was designed by Frederick Heath of Heath, Gove & Bell in 1915. It was initially planned to be built at Longmire. The National Park Service moved the planned location to Paradise when the original financier, John Reese, backed away from the project. The inn was built by the Rainier National Park Company, founded by Steven T. Mather, assistant to the Secretary of the Interior.
Native building 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 plan called for a red roof but the Park Service vetoed this in favor of a green roof which blended in with the natural environment. This is in keeping with the National Park Service Rustic style of architecture. The inn opened on July 1, 1917 and cost between US$90,000 and US$100,000.