Harvey House Railroad Depot
Encyclopedia
The Harvey House Railroad Depot, known as the Casa del Desierto - its original name, is a former Fred Harvey Harvey House
located in Barstow
, in the Mojave Desert
within San Bernardino County, California
. Casa del Desierto now functions as an unstaffed Amtrak
passenger station as well as housing Barstow city offices and two museum
s.
and replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. It was designed by renowned Fred Harvey Company
architect Mary Colter
in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance
and Classical Revival architecture styles. The historic structure is an elegant presence in the arising from the Mojave Desert beside the seasonal Mojave River
.
.
" on the east side, and the "Barstow Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum on the north side.
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
located in Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
, in the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
within San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
. Casa del Desierto now functions as an unstaffed Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
passenger station as well as housing Barstow city offices and two museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s.
History
The Casa del Desierto station and hotel was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. It was designed by renowned Fred Harvey Company
Fred Harvey Company
The origin of the Fred Harvey Company can be traced to the 1875 opening of two railroad eating houses located at Wallace, Kansas and Hugo, Colorado on the Kansas Pacific Railway. These cafés were opened by Fred Harvey, then a freight agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad...
architect Mary Colter
Mary Colter
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was an American architect and designer. As a child, Mary Colter traveled with her family through frontier Minnesota, Colorado and Texas in the years after the American Civil War. After her father died in 1886, Colter attended the California School of Design in San...
in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance
Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance architecture was that style of architecture which evolved firstly in Florence and then Rome and other parts of Italy as the result of Humanism and a revived interest in Classical architecture...
and Classical Revival architecture styles. The historic structure is an elegant presence in the arising from the Mojave Desert beside the seasonal Mojave River
Mojave River
The Mojave River is an intermittent river in the eastern San Bernardino Mountains and Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. The river is notable as most of its flow is underground, while its surface channels remain dry most of the time, with the exception of the headwaters and several...
.
Landmark
The station was closed by the Santa Fe in 1973. However in 1975 Casa del Desierto was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Restoration and museums
The City of Barstow obtained the station in 1990 and moved several city offices into the building. The Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce operates out of "Barstow Harvey House". Other public institutions located here are the "Western America Railroad MuseumWestern America Railroad Museum
The Western America Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Barstow, California.The museum collects, preserves and shares the history of railroading in the Pacific Southwest...
" on the east side, and the "Barstow Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum on the north side.
See also
- Western America Railroad MuseumWestern America Railroad MuseumThe Western America Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Barstow, California.The museum collects, preserves and shares the history of railroading in the Pacific Southwest...
- Barstow Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum
- Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce
- Fred Harvey (entrepreneur)
- Kelso Depot - Visitors CenterKelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees HotelThe Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel or Kelso Depot, now also the Mojave National Preserve Visitors Center, is located in the Mojave Desert within the National Park Service Mojave National Preserve, on Kelbaker Road in Kelso, California, between Baker and Interstate 15 to the north and...
- El Garces HotelEl Garces HotelThe El Garces Hotel is a historic railroad station and hotel located in Needles, California. Built by the Santa Fe Railroad under contract with the Fred Harvey Company in 1908, the El Garces is designed in an elegant Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts style and was considered the 'Crown Jewel of the...
- Needles, CaliforniaNeedles, CaliforniaNeedles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...