Mary Jane Colter Buildings (Hopi House, The Lookout, Hermit's Rest, Phantom Ranch, the Desert View Watchtower, Bright Angel Lodge, and two employee dorms) | |
 Hermits Rest | |
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| Location | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona |
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| Coordinates | 36°03′44″N 112°12′40″W / 36.0622222°N 112.2111111°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Architect | Mary Colter |
| NRHP reference No. | 87001436[1] |
| Designated NHLD | May 28, 1987[2] designation |
Hermits Rest is a structure built in 1914 at the western end of Hermit Road at the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States. The Hermit Trail, a hiking trail that extends to the Colorado River, begins about ¼ mile beyond the shuttle bus stop at Hermits Rest. Hermits Rest also represents the western terminus of the Rim Trail. The location was named for Louis Boucher. Around 1891, Boucher – a Canadian-born prospector – staked claims below present-day Hermits Rest. With help, Boucher carved the aforementioned trail into the canyon, and for years lived alone at nearby Dripping Springs. The main structure currently standing at Hermits Rest was designed by architect Mary Colter. Hermits Rest is the westernmost point on the canyon's south rim that is accessible by paved road. It was built as a rest area for tourists on coaches operated by the Fred Harvey Company on the way to the now-vanished Hermit Camp. The building was designed to appear to be a natural stone formation, closely tied to the land. Colter selected furnishings that are included in the National Historic Landmark designation.[3]
Hermits Rest is one of four Mary Jane Colter Buildings that, as a set, were added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared to be a National Historic Landmark in 1987. All were designed by Colter and were built for the Fred Harvey Company, which operated restaurants and hotels under contract with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, parent of the Grand Canyon Railway.[4]
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Mary Jane Colter Buildings". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013.
- ^ "Hermits Rest". List of Classified Structures. National Park Service. November 25, 2008. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011.
- ^ Harrison, Laura Soulliere (1986). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: M.E.J. Colter Buildings". National Park Service. Retrieved November 18, 2011.