Seismic Upgrades For Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel
Yosemite, CA – The historic Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park will be getting a seismic upgrade after being awarded nearly $32 million in Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) construction funds.
Kitchen renovations are already underway, noted park officials, who added that early next year the hotel will be closed for about eight weeks to complete that construction with no visitor access. No exact dates have yet been scheduled for the closure.
“The Ahwahnee is a crown jewel of national park lodges,” said Cicely Muldoon, Yosemite National Park superintendent. “This much-needed work will ensure the Ahwahnee is seismically safe for present and future generations of Yosemite visitors.”
Park officials detailed that the $31.6 million project includes a major earthquake protection project throughout the hotel, which will begin near the end of the year. Those include bracing the chimneys and support walls, replacing window frames, dining room glass, and the solarium, as well as other infrastructure upgrades in high-use visitor areas. There will also be the addition of an updated HVAC system and safety enhancements to the Great Lounge fireplaces.
Park officials also noted that infrastructure funding from GAOA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is part of a concerted effort to address the extensive deferred maintenance and repair backlog in national parks.
