CUSTER - Custer State Park officials will show off the old and the new all at once Tuesday, June 2, at the State Game Lodge.

A $2.7 million renovation project has stripped away non-historic additions to the Game Lodge, remodeled parts of the original structure and added about 8,500 square feet of kitchen, dining room, gift shop and artist-in-residence studio.

"We took off all the things that had been added over the years, including a kitchen area," Custer State Park superintendent Richard Miller said Monday. "It was a big job. It started last fall and we had it open for Mother's Day."

Miller will join Gov. Mike Rounds, state parks director Doug Hofer, GF&P Commission Chairman Spencer Hawley and officials for Regency CSP Ventures, LP, which operates concessions under lease at the park's four state-owned resorts, to "rededicate" the renovated Game Lodge.

The $2.7 million project was the last of $12 million in park improvements paid for over three years through bonding authorization by the South Dakota Legislature. Other work included the renovation of Blue Bell Lodge, construction of Creekside Lodge near the Game Lodge, remodeling the auditorium at Sylvan Lake Lodge, new water systems at Blue Bell and Legion Lake Lodge, and repairs and expansions to the sewer and water systems at the Game Lodge, Coolidge store, campground and park office.

One of the most recognized structures in the park, the State Game Lodge is a historically significant wood-and-stone structure along Grace Coolidge Creek that was built in the early 1920s. President Calvin Coolidge spent part of the summer of 1927 at the Game Lodge, and President Dwight Eisenhower stayed there in 1953.

Grace Coolidge Creek was named for President Coolidge's wife, Grace.

The front steps of the lodge remain the same and will continue to provide access to the structure. People with disabilities may avoid the stairs and enter the building around back, coming into a reception area leading to the dining area, gift shop and hotel lobby. The former Pheasant Dining Room - which is being renamed, because it is located far from South Dakota pheasant country - is now on the same level as the entrance. Architects for ARC International in Rapid City designed the renovation and additions. J Scull Construction of Rapid City handled the work.

Crews took out the old dining room floor and built the new one at the lower level, maintaining the historic walls and now-higher ceiling.

"Inside, we left the shell of the old Pheasant Dining Room. So within the new, you still see the old," Miller said. "And one of our objectives was to make the place ADA accessible. We've done that. The architect and construction company did a great job."

The stairway that used to lead to the dining room now just continues on to serve the eight upstairs hotel rooms. The top floor of the lodge has rooms for storage and office space but hasn't yet been renovated.

"That's a down-the-road project," Miller said.

In addition to the work covered in the $12 million bonding authorization, other improvements at the resorts were paid for by past concession fees and direct spending by Regency CSP Ventures.

Contact Kevin Woster at 394-8413 or kevin.woster@rapidcityjournal.com

Events

Renovation viewings and tour: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dedications ceremony: 5 p.m.

Speakers: Gov. Mike Rounds; state parks director Doug Hofer; GF&P Commission Chairman Spencer Hawley; Custer State Park Superintendent Richard Miller; Regency CSP Ventures partner Paul VanBockern; Regency CSP Ventures operations director Josh Schmaltz.