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English: Grand Canyon National Park: El Tovar Hotel in Winter. Grand Canyon National Park's El Tovar Hotel was once described as “the most expensively constructed and appointed log house in America.” The Santa Fe Railroad commissioned its construction in 1902. Charles Whittlesey, a Chicago architect, styled it as a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norway villa.

It is built on concrete and rubble masonry with a wood frame structure hewn of Oregon pine. The first floor has log slabbed siding with corners carefully notched to give it the appearance of solid logs. The interior is supported by a peeled log framework topped with decorative corbels throughout the mezzanine.

Originally it was to be named “Bright Angel Tavern.” By the time it was completed on January 14, 1905 it had been renamed El Tovar in honor of Pedro de Tovar, of the Coronado Expedition. The El Tovar cost $250,000 to construct and was considered by many to be the most elegant hotel west of the Mississippi.

Electric lights were powered by the hotel’s own coal-fired generator. It had its own greenhouse for fresh fruits and vegetables. A chicken house supplied fresh eggs for hotel guests. Even fresh milk was supplied by its own dairy herd. Inside the El Tovar was a barbershop, solarium, amusement room, club room, large dining room, art, and music rooms. The dining room had large picture windows overlooking the canyon. The porch on the north side probably dates back to the 1950’s when the dining room was enlarged and the cocktail lounge was added.

Winter conditions on the South Rim of Grand Canyon can be extreme. Be prepared for snow, icy roads and trails, and possible road closures. Winter weather typically begins by November and becomes well entrenched by December and January, with frequent light to moderate snows and increasingly colder weather. Low temperatures are generally in the teens along the Rim; however afternoon high temperatures still average in the 40s (4-9°C), due to the amount of sunshine the area receives., Grand Canyon.