Outlook Magazine - Fall 2024

THE GRAND CANYON SOUTH RIM STRUCTURES

Designed by Mary Jane Colter

n January 1892, Mary Jane Colter, 22, began teaching in the carpentry department at Stout Manual Training School after being hired by

James Huff Stout. The St. Paul native, and 1890 graduate of the California School of Design in San Francisco, likely taught freehand drawing and oversaw wood-based projects during the spring semester, according to “An Idea Comes of Age: UW-Stout, 1891-2016.” After returning to St. Paul to teach, Colter’s career as a designer blossomed. Between 1905 and 1935, she became an interior designer and architect of national importance. Most notably, she designed a group of iconic buildings on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park: 70-foot Desert View Watchtower made from native stone and rising from the canyon like an ancient Native American dwelling, Lookout Studio, Hermit’s Rest, Hopi House and Bright Angel Lodge, as

well as Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. They are part of a National Historic Landmark district. Colter also designed three classic hotels, among other important architectural work, with Native American and Spanish themes in New Mexico and Arizona. She has been recognized posthumously as one of the country’s earliest female and one of its most important architects.

29

Outlook 2024