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The Brinkerhoff and the adjacent caretaker's cottage were built in 1946 at the end of World War II. The main lodge was designed by Jan Wilding and is considered to be of exceptional significance as the only extant example of the later development of the vacation home. The Brinkerhoff also has exceptional significance in that it represents the final period of private development on United States Forest Service leases within the modern park and is the last remaining example of a forest lease vacation home within Grand Teton National Park. At one time there were 111 such leases within the present Park boundaries. Its significance is furthered by the fact that after the National Park Service acquired the property during the late 1950s the lodge was converted to a VIP retreat housing such dignitaries as Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy while they held public office. The presence of such dignitaries added to the favorable press the Park received after World War II and as a result further stimulated the tourist industry and park visitations. The Brinkerhoff also has exceptional significance in the area of rustic architecture and comes from the attempts of architect Wilding to update the rustic style into the post-World War II era.