A major, decade-long restoration of one of Glacier National Park’s historic hotels is entering its final stages. The rehabilitation of the Many Glacier Hotel on the east side of the park began in 2001 and has cost more than $25 million of federal money.
Now the park is preparing to spend another $12 million to bring the century old building up to contemporary codes, restore another 103 guest rooms and do seismic stabilization.
Built between 1914 and 1915, the 214-guest room hotel was one of a handful of lodges, hotels and chalets owned by the Great Northern Railway in and around the park. When the area was designated a national park in 1910, the railroad worked to develop lodging within the park to attract visitors and, for its benefit, passengers.
By 1996, the historic structure had fallen into disrepair and was included on the Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Places. Three years later the Park Service decided that the restoration of the structure was a critical issue and in 2001 work began on stabilizing and rebuilding parts of the hotel. With the help of Swank Enterprises, interior work has been done to the building, specifically in the north annex. One of the most extensive projects was restoring the dining room, which included removing its dropped ceiling and restoring the windows and light fixtures, making it appear as it did when it was owned by the Great Northern.
Approximately 500,000 people visit the hotel every year, including 46,000 overnight guests. The hotel is currently operated by Glacier Park Inc.