Sources suggest that there has been a hotel at the present-day site of the La Fonda hotel since the seventeenth century. Since the 1920s, the current landmark has served as a social center and gathering place for the community, commercial travelers, and tourists. In 1920, architects Rapp, Rapp, and Hendrickson designed a new hotel called La Fonda in the Spanish Pueblo Revival Style. However, the business failed and in 1927 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway purchased the hotel, which was managed by the successful Fred Harvey hospitality chain. The ATSF hired young Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem to expand and completely redesign the structure in the style of Acoma’s San Estevan del Rey Mission Church. Celebrated ATSF designer Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter collaborated with Meem on the décor of the hotel’s 156 guest rooms and public spaces. Thanks to owners,managers, designers, and patrons who appreciate historic preservation, La Fonda remains a cornerstone of Santa Fe’s downtown.

From Old Santa Fe Today, 5th edition by Audra Bellmore with photographs by Simone Frances.

 

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PETE WARZEL