ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. – The area on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe that is now known as Round Hill Pines has a long history, dating back to the 1800s when logging at the lake was rampant.
Bob and Tammy Hassett were selected as the concessionaires to run the Round Hill Pines Resort in 2013 under a 30-year Granger-Thye Act special use permit. Part of their plan was a list of improvements for the resort, including rehabilitating the historic lodge in the upper cabin complex and constructing new cabins to replace the aging ones. They wanted the lodge to include food service, construct a new group gathering area overlooking Lake Tahoe, and add designated bike parking, all as an added feature for those using what, at that time, was a new bike trail. Many of their list of improvements have been completed, including the new entrance from US50, a new parking lot and walkways, a new restaurant, and facilities.
Once the Hassetts got into the lodge and cabins, it became evident that some were just too old to restore, Bob told South Tahoe Now at the time. Constructed in 1951, the Round Hill Resort opened with 30 cabins and a mountain-top motel that hosted guests from June to September until 1969, when necessary sewer improvements were required. They have never reopened.
Round Hill Pines was developed in the 1920s as the private summer estate of Norman DeVaux, a well-known cross-country cyclist turned major West Coast automobile distributor who helped establish Chevrolet and Durant Motors. DeVaux constructed a lodge, guest cabins, service buildings, and recreational features as the core of the property. Additional structures were added after the estate changed hands in 1931, when Arthur Bourne, an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine Company, purchased the land. In 1985, the Forest Service acquired the site, including the beach, marina, and 28 buildings.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) is now seeking community input on a proposal to remove several aging historic structures at Round Hill Pines Resort on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Under the National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies need to consider feasible alternatives before demolition of historic structures.
The proposal calls for demolishing nine aging buildings within the Round Hill Pines Resort Historic Cabin District — a guest house, dining hall, caretaker’s house, garage/laundry facilities, boiler house, gardener’s house, and three employee cottages. Based on their condition, five buildings would be retained for adaptive reuse purposes, including the grand lodge.
To provide input regarding the proposed removal of the aging buildings or to propose viable alternatives, email alexandra.wenzl@usda.gov within 30 days of this announcement (which was issued on March 23, 2026). All comments will be reviewed to help evaluate feasible options.
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