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This Grand Lodge located on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, is built from limestone and pine and opened in January 1905. The lodge is an eight minute walk from the Grand Canyon Railway and a fourteen minute walk from Grand Canyon Village.
The Lodge opened before the Grand Canyon was a protected federal park, which came about after the 1903 visit of the then president Theodore Roosevelt who wanted nothing whatsoever built at that canyon. The Grand Canyon Game Preserve was established by presidential executive order in 1906. The Grand Canyon National Monument was created in 1908 and the Grand Canyon National Park was established by congress in 1919.
The original site of the Harvey House, sits just twenty feet from the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
(m4grand-02-2009-0925.1900) The Grand Lodges, El Tovar
Fred Harvey Company
El Tovar Lodge, or just simply, El Tovar is formally one of the Harvey House chain of hotels, restaurants and other hospitality industry businesses found alongside the railroads in the western United States. This business was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to cater to the growing number of train passengers.
Fred Harvey died in 1901 leaving his family the inheritance of 45 restaurants and 20 dining cars in 12 states. During world war 2, the Fred Harvey company opened to serve soldier as they traveled in troop trains across the United States. Then, in 1968, the Fred Harvey company was sold to Amfac, Inc. which is now known as Xanterra Parks and Resorts.
The Fred Harvey company was the sixth largest food retailing in the United States and it left behind the legacy of good food, dedication to customers, decent treatment of employees and the preservation of local traditions.
Charles Frederick Whittlesey
Born in Alton, Illinois in 1867, Whittlesey was a draftsman for Louis Sullivan before opening his own office in Chicago. At the age of 33, he was appointed the chief architect for the ATSF Railway (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe) and designed many stations and hotels for the railroad including the El Tovar in the Grand Canyon NP.
Some of what Whittlesey designed include interior work by architect Mary Colter. He moved to San Francisco in 1907 and work there and in Los Angeles becoming known for his early work in reinforced concrete.
El Tovar Information:
Year Open:
1905
Architect:
Charles Frederick Whittlesey
Type Construction:
Limestone and Pine Log Rustic
Location:
Coordinates:
36.0575304, -112.1370484
Elevation:
6913 feet
Address:
9 Village Loop Drive, Grand Canyon Village, AZ 86023
Park Entrance Fee:
Adult: $20.00, Vehicle: $35.00, Children Under 16: Free
Access, Military, Senior pass holders enter free
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