Centerbrook renovated the historic Noble Hotel in downtown Lander, Wyoming. The hotel was purchased in 1973 by the National Outdoor Leadership School, whose adjacent headquarters Centerbrook designed, as a residence hall for students, alumni, and staff of its well-known wilderness education courses. The renovations are designed to celebrate the Old West charm of the original building, which was built in 1917 as a luxury hotel for East Coast tourists bound for Yellowstone National Park. The restored Noble is modern and bright with amenities especially welcome to students returning from a long stint in the great outdoors.
Large windows on the street celebrate the activities inside the building and infuse the first floor with light. The centerpiece of the restored two-story hotel lobby is a replication of the original, ornate stained glass ceiling. Original lighting fixtures were refurbished, intricate tile work in the lobby was repaired, and western-style writing desks upstairs double as computer stations. The building also contains new mechanical systems, a dining hall, offices, commercial kitchen, library, meeting rooms, a student lounge, a retail store, and a small museum describing the history of NOLS.
Photography © Ron Pollard