El Garces Hotel
Encyclopedia
The El Garces Hotel is a historic railroad station and hotel located in Needles, California
. Built by the Santa Fe Railroad under contract with the Fred Harvey Company
in 1908, the El Garces is designed in an elegant Neoclassical
and Beaux-Arts style and was considered the 'Crown Jewel' of the entire Fred Harvey chain. This early Harvey House
was designed by architect Francis W. Wilson
.
The hotel was named in honor of Spanish missionary Father Francisco Garcés
, an explorer in 1774 with Juan Bautista de Anza
and the legendary De Anza expedition. The hotel's restaurant was staffed by the famous Harvey Girls, young women who worked for the Fred Harvey Company
.
The El Garces hotel and restaurant closed in 1949. Historic U.S. Route 66
went by the hotel from the 1920s through the 1960s. The Santa Fe railroad station was used by Amtrak until it closed in 1988. Restoration and reconstruction of the historic El Garces began on March 7, 2007.
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
. Built by the Santa Fe Railroad under contract with the Fred Harvey Company
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
in 1908, the El Garces is designed in an elegant Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
and Beaux-Arts style and was considered the 'Crown Jewel' of the entire Fred Harvey chain. This early Harvey House
Harvey House
Harvey House may refer to:*One of many hotels of the Fred Harvey Company in the U.S. west, which include :*La Posada Hotel and Gardens, in Winslow, Arizona, a contributing property in NRHP-listed La Posada Historic District, in Navajo County...
was designed by architect Francis W. Wilson
Francis W. Wilson
Francis W. Wilson was an American architect. His practice in Santa Barbara, California included work for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and its associated Fred Harvey Company hotels, as well as many residences....
.
The hotel was named in honor of Spanish missionary Father Francisco Garcés
Francisco Garcés
Francisco Hermenegildo Tomás Garcés was a Spanish Franciscan missionary who explored much of the southwestern part of North America, including what are now Arizona, southern California, and northeastern Baja California. Garcés was born April 12, 1738, in Morata de Jalón , Zaragoza province,...
, an explorer in 1774 with Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
and the legendary De Anza expedition. The hotel's restaurant was staffed by the famous Harvey Girls, young women who worked for the Fred Harvey Company
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
.
The El Garces hotel and restaurant closed in 1949. Historic U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
went by the hotel from the 1920s through the 1960s. The Santa Fe railroad station was used by Amtrak until it closed in 1988. Restoration and reconstruction of the historic El Garces began on March 7, 2007.
See also
- Passenger train service on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
- Dining aboard the Super Chief
- Blue-plate specialBlue-plate specialBlue-plate special or blue plate special is a term used in the United States by restaurants, particularly diners and cafes. It refers to a specially low-priced meal, usually changing daily. It typically consists of a "meat and three" , presented on a single plate, often a divided plate...
- Van Noy Railway News and Hotel CompanyVan Noy Railway News and Hotel CompanyThe Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company was a business which developed at the beginning of the twentieth century to provide services to travelers aboard passenger trains...
- Needles (Amtrak station)Needles (Amtrak station)The Needles Amtrak station is a train station in Needles, California, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station consists of a covered platform located at a BNSF Railway yard...
External links
- El Garces Hotel
- A Harvey House home page
- Harvey Girl Historical Society
- Friends of the Fred Harvey Company (wiki)
- City of Needles
- The Needles station ("El Garces")
- Needles Amtrak Station and El Garces Hotel (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
- East Mojave Historic Route 66 Association the 1940s Movie.
- (Google Books) 'The Harvey Girls'