the structure was designed by landscape architect merel s. sager, a pioneer of the rustic style of park architecture. to ensure a spectacular view, sager chose a site on victor rock, 900 feet above the lake. construction of the observation station began in the fall of 1930. during construction, sager spent hours in a rowboat on the lake, ensuring the building blended perfectly into the caldera cliff. as a result, the building provides a spectacular view of crater lake and surrounding caldera and mountains, but is virtually invisible from the lake below. the building was finished the following summer. it was dedicated on july 16, 1931. horace m. albright, the director of the national park service, attended the dedication ceremony along with william gladstone steel and many other dignitaries. once it was open, the public quickly made it one of crater lake's most popular viewing areas.