“mary elizabeth jane colter” this painting derived from original photo of Mary Colter courtesy of the Grand Canyon National Park Service. 2.5 x 4 inches, acrylic on photo paper.
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an American architect who was hired by the Fred Harvey Company in 1910. She completed over twenty buildings for them basing her designs on local vernacular and made up legends.
In the 1920s, as a railhead and a crossroad, Winslow was a major Arizona town. The Santa Fe Railroad and the Fred Harvey Company (which operated restaurants and hotels for the railroad) gave architect Mary Colter the assignment to build a hotel for tourists who came West to see the Grand Canyon and visit neighboring Indian reservations. La Posada, which opened in 1930, was Colter’s masterpiece. A Spanish-style hacienda with lodging for 70 and three restaurants.
Source: npr.org
LA POSADA
Painting derived from original photograph. 2.5 x 4 inches, acrylic on photo paper.
La Posada served as one of the finest hotels, with a guest list that included movie stars and presidents. By 1957, it closed its doors. The original furnishings, designed by Colter, were sold and the building was converted into an office space for the Santa Fe Railway.
When it was put on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s endangered list in the 1990s it came to the attention of Allan Affeldt. He, with his wife and a third partner, took on the enormous task of restoration and have brought La Posada back to its former grandeur.
See the whole collection of Little Truths, on flickr.