This historic structure was a store, gas station, and trailer park during its early years, serving travelers along Highway 75 between Sun Valley and the Sawtooth Basin. It gained brief national prominence when Marilyn Monroe’s newly formed production company used the building as roadside diner exterior shots for the movie Bus Stop, in 1956.

Upon learning that the building was scheduled for demolition, our clients decided to maintain this unique piece of local history and architecture. Alchemie was retained to develop a master plan, and the building was moved 1 1/4 miles south, to a site on the other side of the highway.

Initially the new owners only requested the creation of a large pond, but it soon became apparent that the building would be used as a party house and entertainment venue for large gatherings throughout the year. With this in mind, we set about creating a new setting for this historic structure. It was quickly determined that the Store should be set right on the new pond, with a dock projecting from the building, and the plan developed from there.

The former gas pump bay was rebuilt and repurposed as a covered outdoor dining room, and two waterside terraces were developed to the north and south of the Store. The dock, outdoor dining room, and adjacent terraces were carefully scaled to accommodate a small gathering without feeling out of scale, while also serving the needs of frequent large parties. A more distant Martini Terrace was also added to the mix; a perfect spot for enjoying sunsets by the campfire.

An existing upper pond was connected to the new lower pond with the construction of a stone-clad wall with a water runnel along its top, which appears to spill water from one pond to the other. And to facilitate passage from the Store and terraces to the meadow beyond, a Large Boulder Archipelago was constructed, with each stone carefully selected at the quarry, and placed by the landscape architects.

The numerous garden walls are clad with Oakley Stone, a local quartzite, with indirect lighting concealed beneath the wall caps. A new barn and a play field which also serves to accommodate a large festival tent, complete the program.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this new setting for the Store, is that the pond is not visible upon arrival. Only after leaving one’s car, and ascending a half flight of stairs are the pond and the waterfall beyond revealed, at which point, as we overheard one visitor to the property exclaim: “Wow… just wow!” We hope that Ms Monroe would be pleased with this transformation.

The Pioneer Cabin Company with Vital Ink Architecture

Webb Landscape