Demolition cleanup begins at fire-destroyed Mt. Charleston Lodge
The plan to rebuild the Mt. Charleston Lodge, which was destroyed in a fire last fall, is underway.
In a statement released Monday, the lodge’s owners said “final demolition cleanup” has started at the site, which is set to be completed by the end of March.
“Please stay tuned for the announcements and renderings of the new Mt. Charleston Lodge. We are excited to embark on the next step toward resurrecting a new landmark for generations to come,” Christina Ellis, general manager of Ellis Island Hotel, Casino and Brewery, said in the statement. The Ellis family owns the lodge and restaurant.
An accidental fire destroyed the lodge restaurant on Sept. 17, leaving rubble in place of the iconic A-frame restaurant. No one was injured. The former lodge was built in 1962, though another structure operated there from at least 1948 before it was destroyed in a 1961 fire.
Officials have earlier said they intend to keep the traditional A-frame and update some of the facilities.
“We’re going to build it back better,” Thomas Schneekloth, the lodge’s operations manager, said in September. “We’re going to try to keep some of that nostalgia.”
The lodge’s neighboring 23 cabins were unaffected by the fire and remain open.
Contact Mark Davis at mdavis@reviewjournal.com.
