Timebank Movie Night! History of La Posada Hotel in Winslow Arizona

The Story of the La Posada Hotel in Winslow Arizona - A 90 Minute video

The La Posada Hotel gives visitors a nostalgic step back in time. Jan visited the hotel last October, and was so enchanted by the beauty, naturalness, sustainability, artistic design, the story, and the walk back to a different time and place, all in this lovely hotel, that she purchased the video and would like to share this with you. Usually hotels aren't something Jan gets excited about. But this one is special!

"In the 1920s, the Fred Harvey Company 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 alone exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars). They chose Winslow, then (as now) the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Winslow was ideally situated for a resort hotel since everything to see and do in northern Arizona is a comfortable day’s drive. They asked renowned architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter to design the new hotel.

Colter 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 landscape, furniture, maids’ costumes, and dinner china. Many people consider this the most important and most beautiful building in the Southwest.” (via La Posada website)

America’s Roaring 20s was a special time in the hotel industry, and Northern Arizona’s La Posada Hotel was a glowing testament to the era of railroads, the Harvey Girls. In its heyday, La Posada was a favorite destination of the Hollywood jet set. Former guests include the likes of Albert Einstein, Charles Lindbergh, Gene Autry, Howard Hughes, Jane Russell, John Wayne, Dorothy Lamour, James Cagney, Clark Gable, and a long list of presidents and foreign dignitaries.

In the early 1990s, the hotel was slated to be demolished. However, a caring group of folks stepped in to save the hotel, and after a $12 million refurbishment, the hotel again stands in all of its former glory.

If you are interested in seeing the video and cannot come at this time, please email Jan as she will consider scheduling another showing.

This event is for TimeBank Boulder members only. If you are not a member of TimeBank Boulder and are interested in joining our organization, visit http://www.timebankboulder.org.

Refreshments will be served. TimeBank members the charge will be 1.5 TimeDollars. Space is limited to 7 people.