Problems possibly associated with the roof of the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park have prompted the National Park Service to schedule closure of the venerable hotel in December to conduct a "comprehensive" assessment of the 145-year-old lodge's condition.
The Park Service recently replaced the roof on the main hotel building. It was during that project that conditions "revealed the need for more intensive investigation and assessment of the hotel," according to a social media post by the park.
No press release was sent out regarding the upcoming closure set for December 2 and what specifically raised concerns, and park spokesperson Scott Gediman declined to elaborate on the situation when contacted.
The closure comes at the end of the hotel's regular season, which runs from March through November. It also opens for two weeks at year-end, though this year that window has closed and refunds have been issued, according to the hotel's website.
Back in 2020 electrical repairs and facility upgrades kept the Wawona Hotel closed for the entire year. At the time, a survey determined that the electrical system, dating to 1917, needed replacement and upgrades for safety and the preservation of the historic buildings in the complex.
The hotel, which opened in 1879, contains 104 lodging rooms, and roughly half of those contain private bathrooms.
The Wawona Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 2, 1987. Galen Clark began operation of Wawona Hotel, named “Clark’s Station,” in 1856. In 1875, Clark sold “Clark’s Station” to Henry Washburn, who renamed the site Wawona, an Indian word meaning “Big Trees.”
Clark Cottage (1876) is the oldest remaining structure in the complex, built prior to the main hotel building, which was constructed in 1879. The most recent additions are the Annex building opened in 1918, and the golf course and swimming tank, which opened in 1918.
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