In June 1904, one of Yellowstone's most famous and well-loved buildings-the Old Faithful Inn-first opened its doors to the public. In the ensuing 100 years, this National Historic Landmark-with its exceptional architectural and historical significance-has played host to millions of visitors. The National Park Service and Xanterra Parks & Resorts invite the public to join us on Friday, May 07, 2004, as we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Old Faithful Inn.

Activities will begin around 10:30 a.m. when an entourage of mounted park rangers and historic vehicles (buses and a stagecoach) begin their procession up the front road to the Inn to the porte cochere. The opening day ceremony begins when the doors to the Old Faithful Inn open to the public for the 100th season at 11:00 a.m.

The 100th anniversary celebrates the vision of the Inn's great and unsung American architect, Robert Chambers Reamer, with the dedication of a wayside exhibit in his honor. Reamer created a revolution in architecture in national parks that has continued to this day. His style of architecture-where the building is designed to fit into the landscape-is called "rustic architecture" or "parkitecture." The grandeur and wonder of the Old Faithful Inn are best reflected in Reamer's own words (spoken during the construction of another building he designed for the park, the Canyon Hotel), "I built it in keeping with the place where it stands. Nobody could improve upon that. To be at discord with the landscape would be almost a crime. To try to improve upon it would be an impertinence."

The Inn, indeed, does appear to have grown out of the very ground on which it sits. Constructed from materials found in the area, the 6-story lobby is cavernous and opened to the roof, with all the supporting beams and braces of lodgepole pine exposed to view. The massive fireplace in one corner of the lobby has an 85-foot high chimney made from the same rhyolite stone as the foundation. Standing in the great, balconied lobby as the sun filters through the asymmetrical windows gives one the feeling of standing in the forest-but with all the amenities of a first-class hotel.

Special exhibits, programs, and activities will be held following Friday's opening day celebration and will continue throughout the weekend as part of Xanterra Parks & Resorts' Heritage Days; other activities will continue during the summer.

Visitors are reminded that not all park entrances and interior roads will be open to the public on May 7. On April 16, the road from Mammoth to Old Faithful and the West Entrance to Old Faithful will open to the public; on April 23, the Norris-to-Canyon road will open; and on May 7, the East Entrance road will open. The South Entrance is not scheduled to open until May 14, although it could open earlier if conditions allow. For current information on weather and road conditions, call: 307-344-7381.

Information provided by the NPS