crEasing into Retirement: La Posada Hotel

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

La Posada Hotel

La Posada Hotel, the Resting Place, is a Winslow AZ landmark. Last month was our third visit to Winslow and our first visit to La Posada, a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

the last of the great Fred Harvey/Santa Fe Railway hotels

"In 1927, the Santa Fe Railway and the Harvey family decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. La Posada, 'the Resting Place', was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million, about $40 million in todays dollars."

Mary Elizabeth Jane Coulter (1869-1958) "worked for the Fred Harvey Company from 1905 until her retirement in the 1950s. Although famous for her magnificent buildings at the Grand Canyon, she considered La Posada her masterpiece. Here she was able to design or select everything from the structures to the landscapes, furniture, maids' costumes, and dinner china. Many people considered this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest."

La Posada opened its doors on May 15, 1930 and closed them in 1957. "The original hotel had seventy guest rooms, three dining rooms, fancy lounges, restful arcades, splashing fountains and museum quality furniture. It was surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens with their own greenhouse, tennis courts, and a train station. It was the finest hotel on Route 66. Thousands of cars came by the front door. All passenger trains from Los Angeles to Chicago stopped at La Posada. Everybody stayed at La Posada "from Howard Hughes to John Wayne, Bob Hope to Dorothy Lamour, Albert Einstein to the Crown Prince of Japan. Winslow was the big town, bigger than Flagstaff and Sedona until the 1950s." Charles Lindbergh designed the Winslow airport, which is operational today. Click here for a list of all the famous guests.

After 27 years, La Posada closed its doors to the public in 1957 and was nearly torn down. "The museum quality furnishings were auctioned off in 1959. In the early 1960s, much of the building was gutted and transformed into offices for the Santa Fe Railway. Several times over the ensuing 40 years, the building was nearly demolished, as recently as 1994 when the railway announced its plans to move out for good."

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation found out about La Posada's peril and added it to their endangered list where it came to the attention of Allan Affeldt." He visited the hotel in 1994 and decided to help local preservationists save it. Although La Posada was never for sale, Affeldt negotiated for 3 years with the railroad resolving various legal, environmental and financial obstacles. He and his wife moved in April 1997 and began the daunting task of a $12 million restoration, which continues today.

Some of the guest rooms have balconies. Some overlook gardens. Some rooms look out to the trains. There are 54 guest rooms ranging in price and amenities from $119 to $169 plus tax. "Guest rooms are all unique with antiques, full baths, and beautiful views over the gardens. Well behaved pets and children are welcome."