At the beginning of the XX century the Austrians were building Alpine huts near the Italian border  (Zsigmondy, Tre Cime, Sorapìs, Nuvolau) and the Italians felt it necessary to protect their territories. The area around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo was considered of particular interest in that an Alpine hut built in this place could become the counterpart of the huts built on the other side of the border.

The Cadore section of the CAI with the help of the municipal district of Auronzo di Cadore started the construction in 1912 according to the plan made by engineer Giuseppe Palatini; the hut was about to be completed and inaugurated with the name “Longeres Hut” when in May 1915 the war broke out and the building was bombed and ruined.

After the peace was signed the construction was resumed by the  CAI section and on 2nd August 1925 a joyful inauguration took place. The hut was called “Prince Umberto Hut” as a tribute to the hereditary prince and it soon had visitors coming from all countries. With the Republic the hut was renamed “Bruno Caldart” in memory of a young Alpine guide from Auronzo di Cadore who had fallen off Cima Piccola di Lavaredo.

The nice building was destroyed by a fire in April 1955 but soon afterwards it was rebuilt and enlarged and on 16th July 1957 the new hut was solemnly inaugurated with the name “Auronzo Hut”.

In 1935 Piero Mazorana, who was also one of the most active figures in running the hut, founded a school for climbers and hikers.

In the years of its existence, though with different names and in various ways, the hut has become a point of reference for a great number of such famous climbers so that it can be said to represent a sort of rich outline of the history of mountain climbing in the past century.

Among many others the following names  are worth mentioning: Karl Prusik, Ludwig Preuss, Severino Casara, Angelo Dibona, Emilio Comici, Giuseppe and Angelo Dimai, Riccardo Cassin, Gino Soldà, Ettore Castiglioni, Dieter Hasse and in more recent years Hans Kammerlander, Christoph Hainz and brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber.