Narada Falls Comfort Station

Narada Falls Comfort Station
	Narada Falls Comfort Station
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Washington State Heritage Register
	Narada Falls Comfort Station, 2015
	Narada Falls Comfort Station
Location	Mt. Rainier National Park
Nearest city	Paradise, Washington
Coordinates	46°46′31.47″N 121°44′44.65″W / 46.7754083°N 121.7457361°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1941
Built by	National Park Service, Civilian Conservation Corps
Architect	Thomas Chalmers Vint
Architectural style	National Park Service rustic
Website	National Parks Service - Historic Narada Falls Area
MPS	Mt. Rainier National Park MPS
NRHP reference No.	91000208
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	March 13, 1991
Designated WSHR	March 13, 1991

The Narada Falls Comfort Station is a public restroom situated near Narada Falls in Mount Rainier National Park. Similar to nearby Narada Falls Bridge, the comfort station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Constructed between 1941 and 1942, cost overruns required the combined efforts of the National Park Service and Civilian Conservation Corps to complete the build of the structure. The National Park Service rustic style building, featuring stone masonry and Douglas fir siding, contains a restroom facility and an attached waiting room, known for its bench seating. At the time of the building's historic nomination, the comfort station was considered to be mostly unaltered.

History

Narada Falls Comfort Station was constructed in conjunction with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1941 and 1942. Initial work by the NPS encountered substantial rock excavation with the subsequent cost overrun requiring the use of CCC labor to finish the project; the efforts were successful in completing the comfort station by the opening of the 1942 recreational season.^[2]

The design of the station was created under the Western Region Landscape Engineering Division, with plan approval by Thomas Chalmers Vint, NPS Chief of Planning.^[2]

Geography

The comfort station is located north of Pinnacle Peak and Plummer Peak and south of Paradise. It lies east of the Nisqually River and northeast of Longmire. The public toilet building is close to Narada Falls in the south central portion of Mt. Rainier National Park.^[2]^[3]

Architecture and features

The one-story, building was constructed in National Park Service rustic style over a concrete foundation and is split into two sections, a 22 ft × 24 ft (6.7 m × 7.3 m) restroom area and a 19 ft × 30 ft (5.8 m × 9.1 m) waiting room. The structure features stone masonry walls to the window sill level, wood framed upper walls, and a slight-pitched timber framed gable roof with extended eaves. Timber posts support the ridge beam of the station. A stone chimney with a stove pipe flue projects from the roof line; the flue is the only noted alteration of the structure. Siding is lapped Douglas fir, laid horizontal at the entrance section and vertical to the right of a stone break. The partition marks the separation of the toilet facilities and the waiting area. The waiting room section contains windows that are double-hung sashes.^[2]

The interior comprises a waiting room and a toilet facility separated by the stone chimney. The floor is concrete and the ceiling is exposed, showcasing thick timber rafters made necessary to carry extensive weight loads from snow accumulation. The walls are tongue-and-groove planks, reported as varnished at the time of the NRHP nomination. A continuous wood bench lines the waiting area walls; individual benches are situated within the floor space.^[2]

Recreation

The Reflection Lake Snowshoe Trail begins between the comfort station and a nearby maintenance garage. The 4-mile (6.4 km) round-trip hike to the lake usually requires gear such as snowshoes or skis during the winter season.^[4]

Significance

The Narada Falls Comfort Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on March 13, 1991. The building is part of the Mount Rainier National Historic Landmark District that encompasses the entire park; the landmark designation and the comfort station's NRHP nomination recognizes the park's inventory of National Park Service-designed rustic architecture.^[2]

The comfort station was also listed with the Washington State Heritage Register on the same date.^[5]^[6]

Notes

^ As of 2025^[update], the Narada Falls Comfort Station NRHP file has not been digitized at the National Parks Service website. Please review the catalogued inventory form.

References

Media related to Narada Falls Comfort Station at Wikimedia Commons

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Washington MPS Narada Falls Comfort Station". National Archives and Records Administration. National Park Service. 1991. Retrieved June 13, 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Stephanie Toothman; Susan Begley; Ethan Carr (September 14, 1996). "National Historic Landmark Nomination Mt. Rainier National Park MPS". Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. pp. 7, 42–43, 86. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
^ Hill, Craig (January 15, 2016). "Trail of the Week". The News Tribune. p. 9G. NewsBank 15A66ED651A08320. Retrieved June 18, 2025 – via NewsBank.
^ "Property ID: 700304 Ohanapecosh Campground Developed Area - Comfort Station No. O-302". Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data. Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
^ "Property ID: 700311 Narada Falls Comfort Station - Mount Rainier National Park". Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data. Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 6, 2025.

[2] As of 2025^[update], the Narada Falls Comfort Station NRHP file has not been digitized at the National Parks Service website. Please review the catalogued inventory form.

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[nrhpdoc-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Washington MPS Narada Falls Comfort Station". National Archives and Records Administration. National Park Service. 1991. Retrieved June 13, 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[4] Stephanie Toothman; Susan Begley; Ethan Carr (September 14, 1996). "National Historic Landmark Nomination Mt. Rainier National Park MPS". Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. pp. 7, 42–43, 86. Retrieved June 18, 2025.

[5] Hill, Craig (January 15, 2016). "Trail of the Week". The News Tribune. p. 9G. NewsBank 15A66ED651A08320. Retrieved June 18, 2025 – via NewsBank.

[6] "Property ID: 700304 Ohanapecosh Campground Developed Area - Comfort Station No. O-302". Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data. Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 6, 2025.

[7] "Property ID: 700311 Narada Falls Comfort Station - Mount Rainier National Park". Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data. Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Retrieved August 6, 2025.

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v t e National Register of Historic Places in Mount Rainier National Park
National Historic Landmarks	Longmire Buildings Paradise Inn
National Historic Landmark District	Mount Rainier National Park Yakima Park Stockade Group
Other historic districts	Longmire Historic District Nisqually Entrance Historic District Paradise Historic District Sunrise Historic District White River Entrance
Other properties	Camp Muir Chinook Pass Entrance Arch Christine Falls Bridge Edith Creek Chlorination House Gobbler's Knob Fire Lookout Huckleberry Creek Patrol Cabin Indian Bar Trail Shelter Indian Henry's Patrol Cabin Ipsut Creek Patrol Cabin Lake George Patrol Cabin Longmire Campground Comfort Station No. L-302 Longmire Campground Comfort Station No. L-303 Longmire Campground Comfort Station No. L-304 Mt. Fremont Fire Lookout Mowich Lake Patrol Cabin Narada Falls Bridge Narada Falls Comfort Station North Mowich Trail Shelter Ohanapecosh Comfort Stations Shriner Peak Fire Lookout South Puyallup River Bridge St. Andrews Creek Bridge St. Andrews Patrol Cabin Summerland Trail Shelter Sunrise Comfort Station Sunset Park Patrol Cabin Sunset Park Trail Shelter Tahoma Vista Comfort Station Three Lakes Patrol Cabin Tipsoo Lake Comfort Station Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout White River Bridge White River Mess Hall and Dormitory White River Patrol Cabin
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Mount Rainier National Park

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v t e National Register of Historic Places in Lewis County, Washington
Historic districts	Centralia Downtown Historic District Chehalis Downtown Historic District Hillside Historic District Longmire Historic District Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District
Historic properties	Ben Olsen House Boistfort High School Centralia Post Office Centralia Union Depot Chehalis Post Office Claquato Church George E. Birge House Grace Evangelical Church of Vader Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church Hubbard Bungalow John R. Jackson House Joseph Borst House La Wis Wis Guard Station No. 1165 Lewis County Courthouse Lewis County Historical Society and Museum Longmire Buildings Longmire Campground Comfort Stations Mineral Log Lodge Narada Falls Comfort Station North Fork Guard Station No. 1142 O. B. McFadden House O. K. Palmer House Ohanapecosh Comfort Stations Olympic Club Saloon Randle Ranger Station-Work Center Troop 373 and 7373 Scout Lodge St. Helens Hotel Three Lakes Patrol Cabin Wesley Everest Gravesite Wolfenbarger Site
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