It is an open octagonal shelter built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps personnel from the Elwha River Camp in the National Park Service Rustic style.

The peeled log structure is capped with a cedar shake roof, enclosing a cooking fireplace and chimney.

The Elwha and Altair Campground Community Kitchens are the only such structures remaining in Olympic National Park.

[2] The kitchen structure was listed on National Register of Historic Places on July 13, 2007.

When the river flooded in November 2015, both Altair and Elwha Campgrounds were severely damaged by water.