The district includes 143 buildings ranging in size from cabins to the Lodge, built beginning in 1919.

The Lodge was first conceived as a field laboratory for students and educators conducting research in the park.

[2] The Lodge is a simplified version of the National Park Service Rustic style.

The location is close to the reputed campsites of U.S. Presidents Chester A. Arthur and Theodore Roosevelt.

The cabins can be divided into four main types:[3] The Roosevelt Lodge is located near Tower Junction on the Grand Loop Road, which is itself a National Historic District.