La Posada, Winslow, Arizona

If you are a Route 66 buff; if you are interested in architectural gems; if you appreciate amazing desert scenery; if you are an art aficionado; or if you simply enjoy first-class surroundings and service, you'll find it all in “the resting place.”   La Posada, a landmark hotel, is an oasis of style and comfort in the northern Arizona desert.

Signs along historic Route 66 direct you to nearby attractions from days gone by

La Posada was the last great railroad hotel, built in 1929 by the Fred Harvey Company.  Fred Harvey developed restaurants and hotels for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.  In the 1920’s, Winslow, Arizona was the railhead and crossroads for the Santa Fe Railway and no expense was spared for this masterpiece.  In the midst of the Great Depression, construction cost alone was over $1 million.  With the grounds and furnishings, the price tag topped $2 million -- over $40 million in today’s dollars.

Map of some of the Fred Harvey Hotel locations along Route 66 and the Santa Fe Railway
from Kansas to California           (postcard from Yvonne's personal collection)

 

Driveway entrance, La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ

The chief architect and interior designer for the Fred Harvey Company from 1902 to 1948 was Mary Jane Colter, and it was she who envisioned and brought to life La Posada.  Colter was an American architect who had a “concern for archaeology and sense of history."  Much of her inspiration came from the landscape.  She is probably best known for her structures along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, created between 1905 and 1937.  Her designs included Hopi House, Hermit's Rest, Lookout Studio and Desert View Watchtower.  Her work can also be observed on the decorated exteriors of the train stations in Chicago, St. Louis and Los Angeles.  
 

Mary Colter designed Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon in 1935 as an affordable
alternative to the up-scale El Tovar Hotel already on the canyon's South Rim 

The "geologic" fireplace in Bright Angel's lobby features rock from all
of the layers of stone that are seen in the canyon's walls 

 

Hopi House, designed by Mary Colter in 1905 and built as a market to sell Native American
crafts to tourists.  Its design is very accurate and closely resembles a native pueblo.

 

Lookout Studio (or The Lookout), South Rim of the Grand Canyon, designed by
Mary Colter in 1914, emulates the natural scenery along the rim of the canyon.

Colter felt that her masterpiece was La Posada in Winslow.  She was given free rein in that she had artistic license to create everything from the architecture to the interior design.  She selected the china, the maid's uniforms and even participated in designing the gardens. Mary Jane Colter always started with a creative vision for her designs.

 

Only 2 1/2 stories above ground, the hotel is not overly imposing from outside,
but is tastefully furnished, cozy and inviting inside...just like a hacienda

 

 

 

The renovations of the mid 1990s included $1 million to restore the landscaping and gardens

 

A view down one of the hallways in the hotel

 

This carved sideboard is located in the main hallway into the hotel

 

Stairs down to the lower level and up to some of the guest rooms

 

For La Posada, the back story was rooted in the fantasy that the hotel was a grand hacienda for a wealthy Spanish landowner whose family had owned the property for 120 years.  From this vision, she created all aspects of La Posada.  When the hotel opened on May 15, 1930, it had hacienda lodging for seventy, with three restaurants.

The hotel opened in May of 1930.  The date is carved above the front entrance

 

Another view of the hotel's exterior and landscaping

Hollywood greats such as Cary Grant, John Wayne, and Bob Hope made La Posada the destination for Tinseltown's elite.  Makers of history such as Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Ann Morrow Lindbergh, stayed the night.  The register also reflects that Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman made the hotel part of their travel plans.  The hotel remained open for 27 years, but sadly, it closed its doors to the public in 1957 and in 1959 the furnishings were auctioned off.  In 1960, it was gutted and used as offices for the Santa Fe Railway.  Several times it was nearly demolished, even as recently as 1994.

The Turquoise Room as it looked when the hotel opened in 1930
(postcard from Yvonne's personal collection)

The property was placed on the endangered list by the Trust for Historic Preservation, where it came to the attention of Allan Affeldt.  After negotiating with the railroad (the hotel was never officially on the market) for over three years (what patience and fortitude!)  Affeldt, his wife, Tina Mion, and a third partner, Daniel Lutzick, purchased the property and started restoration.   With great vision, determination, and a massive financial commitment, La Posada re-opened to guests in November, 1997, once again taking its place among the grand hotels.  In 2013 USA Today listed it among the top 20 historical hotels in the U.S.  The May/June 2012 issue of AFAR magazine recommended it as one of the top hotels in the world.  Sunset magazine in May 2011 said "four-star service at two star prices."  Indeed, a room can be secured from $119 to $169 per night.  Currently there are fifty-three guest rooms available. The hotel was on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List of 2009.  Condé Nast also pronounced the hotel’s restaurant, the Turquoise Room, one of the three best restaurants in the United States and one of the top sixteen eateries in the world.  Mary Colter's vision is once again an oasis in the desert.

The cover of the Conde Nast Traveler which raved about La Posada
is proudly displayed on the wall with a plaque from the magazine

 

La Posada is on both the National and the Arizona Registers of Historic Places

 

The hotel's gift shop sells a large selection of Native American pottery and jewelry

 

The Amtrak depot is located on the grounds of the hotel (note the hotel roofline in the background.)
Yvonne took this picture from the Amtrak window as she and her Mom and Dad passed through Winslow.

Whether traveling by plane (Winslow, Arizona has the only Charles Lindbergh-designed airport in the world), by train, (the Amtrak depot is located on the grounds and the Southwest Chief stops twice daily), or by car (exploring the iconic Route 66), a stop at La Posada is sure to be one of your, as well as one of our, favorite Road Stories.

To borrow a phrase from Casablanca, "Sooner or later, everyone comes to La Posada."
Yvonne and Mike and their friends, Tom and Adele, had lunch in the Turquoise Room
during their RV stop in Winslow in October 2012.    (Sophie pee'd on their grounds!)