Preservation of Historic Thunderbird Lodge

Delivering historic preservation design services to Missouri State Parks, Farnsworth Group led the renovation of the iconic Thunderbird Lodge at Washington State Park.

This structure was constructed as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project in the 1930s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built over a tributary of the Big River, the lodge flooded in 2017 and forced the State of Missouri to close the building. Farnsworth Group was selected for the project to renovate the lodge and provide historically accurate updates to various surrounding features within the park.

The preservation of the building includes a new wood shake roof, historic replica windows, historic replica doors, new flooring, wall coverings and ADA upgrades. Additionally, site grading and drainage were taken into consideration to help limit future flooding of the facility.

While historic structures often have many unforeseen conditions hidden from the naked eye, Farnsworth Group worked closely with the State of Missouri and the contractor throughout the design and construction process to keep the budget intact and to ensure the repairs and upgrades stayed true to the historic nature of the structure. The revitalized lodge has once again become a focal point for Washington State Park and the Missouri State Park system.