As we near the conclusion of a multiyear campaign to renew the Mormon Row Historic District, we are excited to announce that a long-time friend of the park, John L. Nau, III, is offering a challenge grant to help us reach our goal:
Every dollar given to preserve Mormon Row will be matched up to $300,000.
This the largest cultural preservation project in Grand Teton's history. Any contribution, no matter the size, will help us ensure that the park's most popular historic district continues to inspire visitors for generations to come!
In partnership with Grand Teton National Park, we launched Renewing Life on Mormon Row in 2021. This multiyear project is revitalizing this well-loved destination and will provide visitors with meaningful opportunities to connect with cultural history while immersing themselves in the awe-inspiring Teton landscape. We've compiled project highlights from the last few years below.
Roy Chambers Homestead - 2023
The Roy Chambers Homestead was the focus area of the Renewing Life on Mormon Row initiative in 2023. This project honors the cultural history of the homestead by investing in the rehabilitation of this site for seasonal workforce housing, allowing the park to address two critical goals: the preservation of historic structures and the lack of staff housing. Reusing the property for park employees will ensure the homestead benefits from regular upkeep and maintenance year after year. Progress on this project (shown in the timelapse below) includes the architectural redesign of the failing foundations of the homestead, moving the structures off of their old foundations, building new foundations, and then moving the structures back in place.
John Moulton "Pink House" - 2021-2022
The John Moulton Homestead is one of the few remaining homesteads in the Mormon Row Historic District, which was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its integrity to represent a late-frontier, small-scale agrarian settlement of the American West. The homestead stands out among the many vernacular log structures both along the row and in Grand Teton National Park for its character-defining feature: its pink painted cement stucco. The structure is popularly known as the Pink House and is well preserved and retains high historic integrity.
During summer 2021, the Pink House was lifted from its original foundation and placed on temporary support beams while a new concrete foundation was poured. The focus of preservation work (as shown in the images below) for 2022 included: repairing and painting damaged portions of the exterior stucco; installing the foundation skirt to match the original skirt texture, pattern, and color; replacing the wood shingle roof; reconstructing the chimney utilizing the historic bricks previously removed; repairing and reconstructing exterior porches; and repairing and painting the windows and exterior doors.
What's Next in 2024
The next phase of work for our Renewing Mormon Row initiative is to continue restoring the Roy Chambers Homestead with the rehabilitation of the buildings and the installation of modern utilities. Once complete, the structures will be ready to house additional seasonal park staff.
Visitor experience improvement planning is moving forward this year with design development. This process will lay out plans for new, accessible pathways connecting the historic homesteads and inviting visitors to explore each site. The plan will also focus on the district's rich history through much-improved wayfinding and interpretive media.