Many Glacier revamp enters final phases

$13 million in work gets underway at historic park hotel

The final phases of a multimillion-dollar reconstruction project are underway at the historic Many Glacier Hotel on the east side of Glacier National Park.

Work began earlier this month on a $13.56 million project to complete work on the hotel’s south annex. Swank Enterprises is the contractor for the two-year project that includes electrical, fire prevention, plumbing and other remodeling.

This summer, about half of the hotel’s 211 rooms will be closed because of the construction. The affected rooms are located above the lobby and within the south annex. Additionally, the lobby spaces, including the deck and lake level areas, will be under construction and inaccessible.

The main entrance to the hotel will be temporarily moved to the north end of the building.

Visitors can expect to hear some construction noise during the day, but the dining room and other amenities, such as red bus tours, horseback rides and boat tours, will continue.

Swank will work until Dec. 1 and then restart April 1, 2017, with a target completion of June 2 next year in time for the 100th anniversary of the south annex.

In addition to the Swank work, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the concessioner that runs the hotel, also will do work on Many Glacier Hotel.

In advance of the 2017 summer season, Xanterra will replace some guest room decor and finishes as well as the lobby and public area furnishings.

Sixty rooms will be converted to “upscale” rooms with enhanced amenities. Additionally, the concessioner will upgrade retail spaces (both the gift shop and Heidi’s) which, once completed, will both be located on the lake level.

The newest construction work represents the final two phases of an extensive effort that began in 2001 to remodel, repair and stabilize the old hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake.

Previous work completed in 2012 cost $25 million.

That project started with a massive structural stabilization project that involved using hydraulic jacks to put the hotel’s lakeside walls back in place. Also completed were additional stabilization work and improvements to the building’s exterior as well as interior work in the hotel’s north annex and dining room. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and fire alarm and suppression systems were replaced.

As part of the current reconstruction, the double helix staircase that once led to the hotel’s basement will be rebuilt.

The hotel underwent a reconstruction in the 1950s and the staircase, which featured a rock fountain in the center adorned with native plants and colored lights, was removed.

The National Park Service’s Centennial Challenge program will provide $121,650 that was matched by the Laurence H. Dorcy estate to fully fund the $243,300 project to rebuild the staircase. The matching gift was bequeathed by Dorcy, a multimillionaire from Hawaii and great-great grandson of James Jerome Hill, the founder of the Great Northern Railway, according to the National Park Service.

Great Northern built the hotel from 1914 to 1917. The hotel opened in 1915 but the south annex was not completed until 1917.

The original construction cost for Many Glacier Hotel was $393,000 ($7.3 million in 2015 dollars).

The five-story hotel serves around 35,000 guests a year and employs 200 people during its seasonal operation.