Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation

 

 

Overview

The Ahwahnee, located in Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, includes a National Historic Landmark hotel, guest cottages, an employee dormitory, and associated grounds and landscaping. Built in 1927, The Ahwahnee hotel is an iconic landmark and is used year-round by both overnight and day visitors to Yosemite Valley.

After more than 80 years in service, the hotel and associated structures were in need of rehabilitation because:

• Facilities at The Ahwahnee were not fully compliant with the most recent building safety and accessibility codes including:
• • International Building Code (IBC)
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and IBC seismic requirements
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Many of the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems serving The Ahwahnee facilities were aging and needed to be replaced and updated.
• Some historic hotel finishes and landscape components had aged or been altered over the years, potentially affecting the historic integrity of the property.
• The current operational layout of some working areas reduced the efficiency of providing a high level of visitor services.

The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive plan for phased, long-term rehabilitation of The Ahwahnee National Historic Landmark and associated guest cottages, employee dormitory, and landscaped grounds in order to:

• Enhance visitor and employee safety by bringing the building and grounds into compliance with current building, fire, life-safety, and seismic standards.
• Restore, preserve, and protect the historic integrity and character-defining features of The Ahwahnee by rehabilitating aged or altered historic finishes and contributing landscape features.
• Improve hotel operations and energy efficiency by repairing or replacing outdated or inefficient building systems and components.
• Protect and enhance the visitor experience at The Ahwahnee through improved operationsl efficiency, increased accessibility and rehabilitation of historic resources.

Public scoping for this project occurred from August 13 - September 26, 2009. After completing various studies (e.g., seismic study, cultural resource reports) and conducting a comprehensive design process, the environmental impacts of four proposed alternatives were presented in an environmental assessment released July 2011. On January 3, 2012, the National Park Service signed a Finding of No Significant Impact identifying Alternative 3 as the Selected Action.

 

Documents

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan Environmental Assessment (EA)

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan Fact Sheet (January 2012) [203 kb PDF]

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan Fact Sheet (July 2011) [72 kb PDF]

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan Fact Sheet (January 2010) [118 kb PDF]

• The Ahwahnee Comprehensive Rehabilitation Plan - Public Scoping Report [305 kb PDF]