The Arizona landmark that keeps trying to sink into the earth, and the young men who saved it

CCC Youth Transform Stone Tree House into Desert Masterpiece

Herbert Lore’s Stone Tree House was sinking into clay when the National Park Service bought it in 1932. Five years later, young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Rainbow Forest got to work.

They tore down the old building and built something new.

With their bare hands, they made adobe walls two feet thick, set pine beams from Arizona forests, and etched Navajo patterns into concrete floors. The total bill?

The project cost $130,888. When the Painted Desert Inn opened on July 4, 1940, it showed what jobless youth could do during hard times.

The stunning landmark in Petrified Forest National Park still stands as their greatest gift to America.

A Homesteader Built His Dream on Petrified Wood

Herbert David Lore filed his homestead claim around 1920 and started building something special.

He hired Native American workers to build what folks called the “Stone Tree House” using petrified wood and local stone. Lore opened his inn for business in 1924 under the Homestead Act.

The two-story building sat high up with views of the Painted Desert, serving travelers on Route 66. Guests paid $2-4 per night, ate in the lunchroom, and could take 2-hour car tours through the Black Forest.

Clay Soil Threatened to Swallow the Original Building

The National Park Service bought the Stone Tree House and nearby land in 1935-1936 but quickly ran into trouble. Engineers found the building was slowly sinking into unstable clay soil underneath.

What started as a simple plan to add water and electricity became impossible. The clay soil broke down the mortar, making the walls unsafe.

Park officials needed to rebuild the whole structure but called it a “rebuilding” project to get money during the tight-budget Depression years.

Young Men Arrived Ready to Transform the Inn

Civilian Conservation Corps workers from the Rainbow Forest camp showed up in August 1937 to begin work.

These young men, many just teenagers looking for jobs during hard times, worked under Public Works Administration funding.

The CCC supplied the workers while the National Park Service paid for materials from National Forests. To get approval during the Depression, they labeled materials as “forest thinning.”

The whole project cost $130,888 between 1937 and 1940.

An Architect Dreamed Up a Desert Masterpiece

National Park Service architect Lyle E. Bennett created plans for rebuilding in the Pueblo Revival style.

He picked flat roofs, stepped shapes, and sloped walls that fit the desert landscape. Workers covered the building with soft pink stucco that matched the nearby terrain.

Bennett wanted visitors to feel like they were “in an ancient Indian building” when they walked inside. His design featured different levels with private patios for each of the eight guest rooms.

Workers Built Massive Walls With Their Bare Hands

CCC workers built adobe walls by hand without modern equipment. These walls stood more than two feet thick, showing the huge amount of manual work involved.

The crew kept a few original Stone Tree House walls but added new footings to make them stable. Workers covered all walls with lime plaster for a smooth finish.

They shaped outside corners and openings with curves to help the building blend with the desert surroundings.

Every Interior Detail Came From Skilled Hands

The young men put in pine beams and aspen crossbeams cut from Arizona forests.

They got creative with concrete floors, hand-carving and painting them with Navajo blanket patterns. Workers made wooden furniture with American Indian designs throughout the building.

The rounded doorways and windows copied old pueblo buildings, giving visitors a real southwestern feel. All inside work came from CCC workers who learned building skills while earning money during tough times.

Light Fixtures Told Stories of Cultural Heritage

CCC workers made punched-tin light fixtures showing Spanish influence throughout the inn. Six hammered-tin, Mexican-style chandeliers hung in the Trading Post Room, catching light in beautiful patterns.

The crew painted skylight glass with designs from old pottery found at the site. A huge skylight with painted glass filled the Trading Post Room with natural light.

Architect Bennett spent many hours testing different colors for paints to get the perfect desert glow inside.

Colors and Curves Brought the Desert Indoors

Camp boss Harold W. Cole worked with architect Bennett during building and watched the project take shape.

Cole later talked about how Bennett tried countless color mixes to capture the desert’s look.

Bennett taught CCC workers to shape rounded doorways using “sweeping motions of women’s arms” like in traditional methods. Cole noted how the inside “glowed with soft, blended coloring” when finished.

The construction boss made sure workers got even the smallest details right.

The Inn Welcomed Its First Guests on Independence Day

The Painted Desert Inn opened July 4, 1940, run by Standard Concessions Inc.

Visitors found a dining room, sandwich shop, kitchens, Indian museum, and trading post all in one place. The eight guest rooms sat on different levels with private walled patios offering great desert views.

Park rangers and nature guides also worked from offices in the building. The inn became a popular stop for tourists driving Route 66 through Arizona.

World War II Closed the Doors Temporarily

The inn shut down in October 1942 as tourism dropped during World War II. After sitting empty for four years, the Fred Harvey Company took over in April 1947.

They hired designer Mary Jane Colter to redo the inside with new colors and big windows to show off the desert. Colter brought in Hopi artist Fred Kabotie to paint murals showing the Buffalo dance and salt ceremony.

The famous Harvey Girls lived in the former guest rooms and worked in the dining room, bringing their top-notch service to desert travelers.

The Building Nearly Got Bulldozed Before Becoming a Landmark

The inn closed permanently in 1963 because of ongoing foundation problems caused by that troublesome bentonite clay.

The Park Service received demolition orders in 1975, but the superintendent refused after seeing the remarkable interior craftsmanship.

A public protest campaign saved the building from the wrecking ball, leading to its listing on the National Register in 1976.

The government designated it a National Historic Landmark in 1987 for its architecture and New Deal construction significance.

After extensive restoration work, it reopened as a museum in 2006, showcasing the remarkable craftsmanship of those Depression-era young men.

Visiting Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

You can visit the Painted Desert Inn for $25 per vehicle (valid seven days) at Petrified Forest National Park’s northern section off Interstate 40 Exit 311.

The museum is open 9am-4pm daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas with no extra fees beyond park entrance. Inside you’ll see original Fred Kabotie murals and an amazing mountain lion petroglyph display.

During summer months, you can grab ice cream at their nostalgic parlor.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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