MENA — The lodge at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, known as the “Castle in the Clouds,” will have a much wider panoramic view of Rich Mountain after a $6.7 million renovation.
The lodge will be closed until summer 2013, said Greg Butts, state parks director.
The lodge’s enhancements will include larger windows.
“The panoramic view from the mountain is an important part of the Queen Wilhelmina State Park experience,” Butts said.
“Our visitors and overnight guests are going to enjoy the more wide-open views from all the lodge’s public rooms, including the restaurant, and all the guest rooms.”
The lodge, which originally opened June 22, 1898, was dubbed Castle in the Clouds because it sits atop 2,681-foot Rich Mountain.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park is a popular tourism destination on the Talimena Scenic Drive along Arkansas 88 in Polk County. This will be the first major renovation of the park lodge since it was reopened in 1975.
The exterior of the lodge will feature shingles and stonework. Energy-efficient features will include new insulated walls.
The lodge will expand from 26,335 square feet to 36,538 square feet and include a hearth room with fireplace. Two rooms will be added, and the current 38 rooms will be expanded to accommodate two queen-size beds each. Most of the guest rooms will include large walk-in showers.
Four guest rooms on the west end of the first and second floors will include gas fireplaces and spa tubs. Three guest rooms will be barrier-free to meet the needs of visitors with disabilities. To improve the access to the building for visitors with disabilities, more stairwells and an elevator will be added.
The lodge’s covered north entrance will be remodeled.
A wrap-around porch on the building’s south side will provide visitors with outdoor space for enjoying the views from the mountain, and a porch will be added to the west end.
The public restrooms on the first floor will be enlarged. The upstairs meeting room will be enlarged and feature windows on three sides. It also will offer access to a small balcony overlooking the south view from the mountain.
An energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system will be installed, along with a solar hot-water system.
During construction, all other facilities at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, including the campground and trails, remain open. Until the lodge reopens, park offices will be in a trailer near the entrance to the campground, Butts said.
The design consultant for the lodge project is Borne Firm Architects of Little Rock. The contractor is Wade Abernathy Inc. of Mount Ida.
Funding sources for the project include Amendment 75, the Arkansas Conservation Fund and grant money from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.
The lodge and park have a long history. After opening in 1898, the lodge fell into disrepair and was abandoned and closed by 1910.
In the 1950s, efforts were started to rebuild the lodge. The Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 76 in 1957 to create Wilhelmina State Park.
The second inn opened June 22, 1963. It operated for 10 years as an Arkansas State Parks lodge.
On the evening of Nov. 10, 1973, a fire began in the kitchen area and destroyed the lodge. The state parks department lost no time in constructing a new lodge on the site, opening the $3 million facility in 1975.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park is on Arkansas 88, 13 miles west of Mena. The park is one of 52 state parks administrated by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 03/23/2012