Many Glacier Hotel was planned to be the crown jewel of Louis Hill's Great Northern Railway development in Glacier National Park. With the arguable exception of Crater Lake Lodge, the setting of Many Glacier is probably the most photogenic of the great National Park Lodges.
above, 1920s era colorized image of Many Glacier shows what the hotel looked like prior to construction of the porte-cochere. Compare this image to the large first image above, taken from virtually the same spot.
Unfortunately the remoteness of the lakeside location in 1913 made construction a challenging proposition. The logistics of moving men and material into the alpine valley were sometimes out of sync. But the overwhelming problem was that winter arrived and lasted longer than expected, and some materials were substituted or replaced. As a result the construction of Many Glacier Hotel used a combination of costly timbers and cheap composite board.
The result was a drafty, creaking monstrosity that was added to piecemeal over the next few years. When it was completed, proponents used the word "rambling" to describe it; detractors changed the word to "ramshackle."
In the original layout of the lobby, a striking spiral staircase was located opposite the open hearth fireplace. This staircase, which led to the basement, was removed during the 1950s reconstruction. Notice the Victrola and wicker chairs on the left side of the photo. More significant is the original decor: A mix of cattle skulls, Chinese lanterns, and animal pelts draped on most of the railings. This contrasts heavily with the current view below, which has none of the skulls and furs. The Oriental decor was removed during the 1930s. Photo below courtesy the National Park Service.
Because of the "Swiss" exterior that Hill conceived, the hotel fits the lakeshore and the setting nicely. By using this chalet style, its appearance draws on centuries of preconceptions of what a high alpine hotel should look like. Almost any other style building of this size would be horribly out of place. We're fortunate that Many Glacier was constructed when it was; without railway riches it is hard to imagine any other time that it could've been. Certainly today's environmental movement would render such a hotel little more than a pipe dream.
Notice how the multiple angles of the chalet's rooflines work in concert with the angles of the peaks beyond. Even the jigsaw Swiss styling replicates the runnels in the rock forms. Mike Wasson photo.
While the location so close to the lake is alarming to some, it actually lessens the impact of the structure. The steep bank dropping to the lake allows the front portion of the buildings to be below ground, giving the impression that the buildings sprang from the earth and remain tied to it. It is only when viewed from the lake that Many Glacier reveals how truly immense it is. And from that vantage point, the backdrop of the mountains minimizes what would otherwise be a monstrous appearance.
This vintage image reveals a much larger hotel when viewed from the lake.