05/07/2025
The Oregon Caves Chateau is named one of
America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Salem, OR (May 7, 2025) – The National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Oregon Caves Chateau one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2025. The Chateau is located in the Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve in rural southwestern Oregon. It has been part of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places program, since 2016 by the statewide nonprofit Restore Oregon.
"The Oregon Caves Chateau is the first place in Oregon to be included on the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Places since the program's inception in 1988, and I can't think of a better site to exemplify how preservation can serve the public. Reactivating this extraordinary landmark protects Oregon's distinctive architectural landscape while also revitalizing economies of nearby rural communities," said Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust
for Historic Preservation.
The operations of the Oregon Caves Chateau, a National Historic Landmark lodge, have significantly benefited the rural economy of nearby Cave Junction and its surrounding communities for 91 years. Since its construction in 1933 and opening in 1934, the Chateau has provided overnight lodging and concessions to visitors from across the United States and around the world. The unfortunate closure of the Chateau in 2018, due to the need for extensive repair and restoration, halted the economic benefits it had been supplying. Following the closure, the need for additional unplanned structural and seismic upgrades dramatically increased the total project cost. Significant funding is necessary to reopen the Oregon Caves
Chateau, enabling it to resume operations and support the essential economic revitalization of the rural region it calls home.
“The Chateau holds deep significance for southern Oregon as a symbol of the community’s collective memory and identity, having served as a beloved destination for multiple generations over 91 years,” said Sue Densmore, Executive Director of the Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau.
“The Oregon Caves Chateau project reflects what Oregon does best—we protect the places that define us, invest in our rural communities, and take pride in the stories that make our state special. I am grateful to the National Trust for putting the spotlight on one of Oregon’s most unique historic buildings – now let’s get to work to see this critical restoration through,” said Governor Tina Kotek.
The National Historic Landmark Chateau exemplifies rustic “Parkitecture,” as most building materials were sourced from the site and surrounding communities, allowing the building to blend seamlessly with its heavily forested surroundings. Notably, the Chateau’s designer, Gust Lium, rerouted Cave Creek through the building to create a breathtaking water feature in the Chateau’s formal dining room before Frank Lloyd Wright designed and constructed the famed Fallingwater House one year later. The Chateau also retains many of its original features, including original lighting and the most extensive public collection of Monterey furniture in the United States.
As the only lodging in the region, aside from a nearby campground, the ongoing closure of the Chateau is significantly impacting the local economy and the region as a whole, raising community concerns that a further prolonged closure continues to impact the regional economy significantly and leaves the Chateau vulnerable to long-term deterioration by sitting empty. The Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve features numerous forested trails, an inviting campground, and offers spectacular National Park Service (NPS)-guided cave tours. Cave tour options include the Family Tour, the Candlelight Tour, and the Off-Trail Tour.
The Monument was Oregon’s first such designation, made by President Howard Taft in 1909, following then passage of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The Friends of the Oregon Caves & Chateau (Friends), an official partner of the National Park Service (NPS), has convened a Blue-Ribbon Committee comprising elected officials and key stakeholders to raise awareness and assist with public-private fundraising efforts in support of the repair and restoration of the Chateau. Restoring and reopening the Chateau will help sustain its vital role in promoting economic vitality and heritage tourism for Oregon. The NPS has invested in building stabilization, structural repairs, fire protection, and roof repair. The Friends have already raised substantial funds to restore historic doors, original balconies, the Monterey furniture collection, original lighting, and more. The NPS continues to collaborate with a team of architects, engineers to design plans for significant repairs and enhancements to the building’s foundation and structural support systems, ensuring the long-term preservation of the Chateau. The Blue-Ribbon Committee is planning a public-private capital campaign to launch in the summer of 2025. Once the Chateau is restored, it will reopen for public use, once again providing lodging and concessions to the region and visitors to the Monument.
"As a Blue-Ribbon Committee member, Restore Oregon worked closely with the Friends to secure this 11 Most designation to amplify and extend nationally the work done as part of our Oregon's Most Endangered Places program for this incredible National Historic Landmark lodge,” said Nicole Possert, Executive Director for Restore Oregon. “This renewed effort is bolstered greatly by the involvement of our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation."
“National parks are some of our greatest storytellers, and the Oregon Caves Chateau holds a chapter of Oregon’s past worth preserving,” said Colin Deverell, Northwest Associate Director for the National Parks Conservation Association. “The inclusion of the Oregon Caves Chateau on this year’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places is a call to action. Our national parks are facing unprecedented challenges, and we must invest now to protect this iconic landmark for generations to come.”
There are many ways the public can support the Oregon Caves Chateau include sending photos and stories of your past visits to [email protected]; take a cave tour this summer
(https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm?ds=orca); join the Friends for a celebration event on July 12th; and make a donation to the Friends of the Oregon Caves & Chateau to assist the restoration effort. http://Friendsocac.org
Sue Densmore
Friends of the Oregon Caves & Chateau
[email protected] or (541) 944-1139 cell
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