Jacoby Architects designed the new 15,000 square foot, $4.8 million Watson Restaurant at Alta Ski Area as the first building of the planned skier services improvements in the Collins Gulch area of the resort. Located at a mid-mountain elevation of 9300 feet, the facility will continue the renowned tradition of mountain hospitality established in the original Watson Forest Shelter in 1939.

Working within a compact footprint established in the Forest Service approved Master Development Plan, the building is organized in three levels of approximately 5,000 square feet each on a sloping site with each floor accessible from grade by way of variously configured exterior decks.

The building’s aesthetics result from a selection of materials appropriate to its mountain environment, the desire for unimpeded views of the spectacular alpine setting, and facilitation of maintenance.

The program consists of a full-service restaurant serving 58 guests from an on-site kitchen at the upper level. Cafeteria service is provided at the middle floor with 196 seats distributed on the middle and upper floors. The lower floor accommodates a skier services desk, a small retail and demo ski operation, coffee bar, public rest rooms, employee living quarters, and receiving, storage and food preparation area.