Restoring a Glacier Park landmark: Lake McDonald Lodge renovation costs $3 million

In March, the banging of hammers and the high-pitched whine of electric drills rang out on the normally tranquil northeast shore of Lake McDonald, where one of Glacier National Park’s most iconic buildings has stood for more than a century.

Carpenters, electricians and other construction workers are wrapping up a nearly $3 million renovation on Lake McDonald Lodge — the first major overhaul of the building in nearly three decades.

Marc Ducharme, the general manager for Xanterra Parks and Resorts’ concessionaire operations in the park, said the company is spending close to $3 million on upgrades and maintenance to the 3 1/2-story, Swiss chalet-inspired structure.

“The buildings themselves are sort of historic icons of Glacier, and I think it’s important that we upkeep these beautiful, historic properties so future generations can have the opportunity to experience Glacier in a similar way that their ancestors did 100 years ago,” Ducharme said.

Completed in 1914, the lodge was not a product of Great Northern Railway President Louis Hill — unlike most of the other historic hospitality buildings in the park.

Columbia Falls hotel owner John Lewis commissioned the structure, according to Ray Djuff and Chris Morrison’s “View with a Room.”

The multitude of furs and trophy mounts adorning the massive pine timbers that frame the lobby are thought to have been the product of Lewis’ propensity for hunting big game in the region.

Renovations kicked off in December with demolition work.

“They’re on schedule, on budget and absolutely exceeding my expectations with their quality,” Ducharme said of Kalispell-based Hammerquist Casalegno, the general contractor selected for the renovation work.

The lodge’s rustic, open-beam lobby has temporarily lost its signature firewood scent to a fresh layer of salmon-colored paint on its walls, but aside from some new rugs and updated fixtures, most of the work has focused on the 82 guest rooms and 13 adjacent cabins.

“The public spaces don’t look much different,” he said. “The rooms we kept time-period-accurate, but the historical accuracy was more difficult because of the lack of historic photographs.”

Renovation crews have re-stained the cedar woodwork in the gift shop, added fresh paint and replaced all the fixtures. The rooms have also received new paint and fixtures, along with new carpeting, beige wainscot along the walls and completely overhauled, white-tiled bathrooms.

Ducharme said new furniture will be fully installed by the end of May.

It’s the largest renovation Xanterra has overseen in the park since taking over the concessionaire contract from Glacier Park Inc. in 2014.

Last year the company renovated the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn near Many Glacier and the Village Inn at Apgar. Under its 16-year concessionaire contract with the park, Xanterra is obligated to renovate several of Glacier’s lodges and hotels, including work at the storied Many Glacier Hotel set to begin next year — another roughly $3 million commitment.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.