A Natural Partnership

In 1904, an idyllic partnership was born between Old Hickory Furniture Company and Yellowstone National Park. Two years earlier, Yellowstone had commissioned architect Robert Reamer to design and build a world-class hotel overlooking Old Faithful geyser. Young Reamer brought a fresh vision to the project, believing it possible to create a structure that would appear to have grown out of its surroundings, a structure that would be an extension of the wilderness, inside and out.

His vision, embodied in Old Faithful Inn, caused a revolution in national park architecture that continues to this day, known as “rustic architecture” or “parkitecture.”

When it was time to furnish the Inn, Reamer and Mrs. Adelaide Child, the Grand Dame of the Yellowstone Park Hotel Company, called on Old Hickory to furnish the Inn’s dining room, guest rooms, and outdoor spaces, considering it “the finishing touch” to the grand lodge. The Inn’s investment in Old Hickory dining room chairs proved to be wise, as the originals are still faithfully serving today’s guests.

The idea of designing in concert with nature flourished throughout the National Park Service in the early twentieth century. Not surprisingly, Old Hickory furniture was selected to grace the lobbies, verandas and dining rooms of many of these lodges, including several throughout Yellowstone National Park. Old Hickory’s Yellowstone Collection commemorates this distinguished partnership of more than 100 years.