Hermits Rest was designed by architect Mary Colter and completed in 1914 as another attraction to help the Santa Fe Railway entice tourists to the canyon.
Drawing on the local history of miners guiding visitors to their inner canyon camps, she imagined the setting as a prospector’s lair carved into the hillside. The interior is cave-like, with a massive fireplace set into the back wall.
When Santa Fe employees kidded Colter that the rest stop looked like it needed a good cleaning, she replied, “You can’t imagine what it cost to make it look this old.” (The price tag, about $185,000, was an impressive investment for the Santa Fe and Fred Harvey Company, which charged $1.50 per person to take the stage to Hermits Rest.) Just west of the building is the start of Hermit Trail [1].
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/grand-canyon/the-south-rim/recreation/hiking/hermit-trail