Description
The Lake McDonald Lodge faces the lake, where early visitors arrived. With the construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, visitors began to arrive at what had, until then, been the rear of the hotel, which still retains its character as a secondary entrance despite the traffic it receives. Road access arrived by 1921. The main building is 3-1/2 stories high, with a stone foundation and wood framing above. Exposed stone surfaces on the exterior have mostly been covered with white stucco. The upper floors are clad in brown wood clapboards, with sawn fancy trim patterns picked out in white on the upper levels as frieze bands. The white stucco fireplace chimney dominates the present entry elevation, offset around the window above the fireplace.
The hotel features a large lobby near the northeastern end which faces southeast, centered on a large stone fireplace set in an inglenook recess on the south wall, surmounted by a large window. The lobby is three stories tall, decorated with skins and taxidermy mounts of native species acquired or trapped by John Lewis, who supplemented the hotel business by trapping, often in the park.. There are balconies on the second floor to either side, and on the second and third floors at the rear of the lobby. The building's heavy timber frame is exposed in this area. Stairways to the upper levels feature natural burled log elements. This element is flanked by guest room sections with perpendicular gables on either side. Guest rooms are primarily on the two upper levels. The dining room is to the southwest of the lobby on the main floor in a 1-1/2 story wing,facing the lake, with a 1-1/2 story kitchen wing adjoining. The exterior features balconies on all elevations on the guest room levels and porches on the ground levels. Exposed framing is a mixture of sawn heavy timbers and log framing, often with the bark remaining. Sawn railings with decorative patterns have replaced some of the log railings on the balconies. Log railings remain in the upper levels of the lobby.
Parts of the dining room may have been the first component of the present hotel to be built. The dining wing was found to be a compilation of several smaller structures during the 1980s renovations, with an entry on an upper level overlooking the main room. Renovation work adjusted the elevation of the entry drive, which had previously been near the level of the second floor windows, to be only slightly above the ground floor elevation.
Many of the original furnishings have remained with the lodge. A number of hickory chairs with log frames are original, as are the piano and a large table and many of the trophies. Other furnishings are reproductions of Old Hickory and Roycroft pieces, while rugs are reproductions of Gustav Stickley originals. The hanging lanterns are reproductions of original work made by Kanai craftsmen for the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada, which had been moved to Lake McDonald in the 1960s.
The Lake McDonald Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987, comprising a small national landmark district of 2.3 acres (0.93 ha) within the larger Lake McDonald Lodge Historic District, which had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22. 1978.
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