In 1972, the Eagles sang "Well I'm standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see; It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me..." The "Standin' on the Corner Statue" (#11 on my "100 Things In Arizona" list) was our first stop.
Bronze sculpture by Ron Adamson depicting Jackson Browne, co-writer of the song
Winslow was a booming town with the Burlington Northern & Sante Fe Railroad as well as Route 66 (aka "the Main Street of America") going through it. Hotels, motels, diners and shops popped up and flourished. In fact, business was so good and the main thoroughfare so busy that Route 66 became a divided highway in Winslow (the first segment of divided highway for the Mother Road!) with east-bound traffic on Second Street and west-bound traffic on Third Street, both one way streets through town.
Then, in 1978, Interstate 40 opened, bypassing Winslow. Always in a hurry, motorists and truckers preferred the high-speed, multi-lane modern freeway to the slower, two-lane highway of Route 66. The town struggled to survive as place after place went out of business. What had been the largest town in northern Arizona was slowly becoming a ghost town.
Two things saved the town: the reopening of La Posada (keep reading for explanation!) and the Standin' On The Corner Corporation, a non-profit corporation dedicated to the restoration of historic downtown Winslow. Their plan? To capitalize on the Eagles' song with a park and make it a tourist destination.
Plans were submitted, artists commissioned and finally, a park took shape. John Pugh painted a mural on the side of a building, a statue was made, benches and signage arranged and a destination emerged. Advertising and promotion was the next step.
The mural depicts the song's lyrics with the girl in the flatbed Ford. And notice the eagle in the top left window =)
The advertising campaigns worked. Soon people were crusin' into Winslow on their motorcycles, in a pickup truck and yes, even packed in minivans! MR KLUD was not the only group getting a photo at the corner- there was a constant stream of people, mostly baby-boomers who remembered rockin' out to the song in the 70's!
Yep, the flatbed Ford is part of the park!
Richard, Kristin. Doug, Ursi, Mike and Laurie
aka MR KLUD
I mentioned La Posada earlier as one of the two things that saved the town. What's ironic is that it also brought famous actors, politicians, artists and authors (read: MONEY) to the town in 1930 when it was built by the Fred Harvey Company, the owner of a chain of restaurants and hotels alongside railroads in the western states. La Posada (#71) was designed by world-renowned architect, Mary Jane Colter and is said to be her favorite work. It was our second stop.
At a time when most Americans believed culture originated in Europe, Colter designed her building to reflect materials and history of the region. The design for La Posada comes from a Spanish hacienda with a smattering of Indian and Mexican touches.
The hotel opened just as the Great Depression was beginning. Despite being a luxury hotel hosting the rich and famous of the day, it never prospered and eventually closed in 1957. Its museum-quality furnishings were auctioned off a few years later and a few years after that, it was gutted and turned into offices for the Sante Fe Railway. About three decades later, the railway announced it was tearing it down.
After three years of negotiations with the railway, Allen Affeldt, Tina Mion (an artist and also Allen's wife) and Daniel Lutzick (their friend) became partners/owners of La Posada and began a $12 million restoration project. Against seemingly impossible odds, they are transforming a forgotten, broken-down building back into the beautiful, museum-like hotel is once was- Mary Jane Colter's legacy.
The rooms are named for the famous people that stayed at the hotel. Hotel registers with room numbers were lost in a flooded basement but other records with names survived, so while the person your room is named for may not have stayed in that room, (s)he did stay at the hotel.
We stayed in the Clark Gable (one of my favorite actors!) room and had a small balcony.
Our room was very comfortable. Tina Mion's brother, Keith, designed, built and signed the headboard in our room. All the rooms had to be remodeled but were done in the same style as they were originally.
Much of the ground floor comprises common areas- a gift shop, restaurant (The Turquoise Room- which is fabulous!), sitting rooms with books and games set out on tables, a library, art gallery and museum area. We spent over an hour exploring the various rooms and realized we needed much more time.
This hallway is a treasure trove of goodies- some original and some from modern-time.
"The Cross at La Posada" (my favorite!) is a piece done by Daniel Lutzick. The keys were all ones found at La Posada- old room keys (and, by the way, they still use old-fashioned room keys!), maintenance workers' keys, luggage keys left by patrons, vehicle keys for corporate cars, filing cabinet keys, padlock keys for storage sheds, patron's lost keys...
We got up early the following morning to explore the grounds and watch the trains. The train tracks (four sets of them!) are behind the hotel and the freight trains pass by all day and all night. I thought they might keep us awake but I didn't hear them once!
The "backyard" is beautifully landscaped- a peaceful retreat!
Fuchsia, light pink, white and red hollyhocks were blooming everywhere.
Just past the "backyard" are the tracks and the old train station, which is now closed. Amtrak is the only train that stops and departing passengers are instructed to go into La Posada.
Although the train station (upper left) is abandoned, the many chairs and benches (upper right) that line the track are often filled with people "sittin' a spell to watch the trains go by!" While Amtrak only passes by twice a day, mile-long freight trains pass by several times an hour.
After getting a cup of coffee to go- brewed just the way I like it!- from the lobby, we headed out the front door to explore the many patios and gardens in the front. As she was designing La Posada, Mary Jane Colter wanted to ensure visitors would feel welcomed and at home as soon as they stepped on the premises. It has been said this was her favorite project because she got to design the grounds as well as the hotel itself.
This patio in the front courtyard has great character and charm. The graceful arches, wood shutters and tile/rock floor reveal old-world hacienda elegance while the eclectic furnishings add an element of fun.
A refreshing water feature visibly and audibly separates the patio to the left from the gardens to the right.
Garden beds filled with vegetables were intermingled with paths leading to another smaller patio area. I wish my vegetable garden looked as good as theirs! The garlic, chilies, onions and blue corn they grow are used by their restaurant chefs in The Turquoise Room. The "Spicy Green Chili Breakfast Potatoes" were absolutely incredible with just the right amount of heat.
I was strolling through the flower gardens on the other side of the entrance path and noticed a small building with an interesting closed door. I snapped a few photos and continued on my way when I ran into Mike. He asked if I had been in the Secret Garden yet...
What I thought was just a cute garden shed with an interesting door was actually the way into a secret garden lined with beautiful flowers (mostly hollyhocks, a favorite of mine!). Another small patio with an assortment of chairs overlooked the water feature and gardens. It was here that I finished my coffee, thanked God for an amazing morning and spent a few moments in quiet reflection.
Alas, we needed to get on the road early to head to our next destination, Canyon de Chelly, so our stay at La Posada was short. We all agreed that we will be back again someday to spend more time. They are almost always booked up so be sure to make reservations if you come!
As we drove out of town, we stopped at three local icons, each with a great story.
Totem Pole: Peter Wolf Toth, a Hungarian sculptor who immigrated to the US, created 74 sculptures (wood carvings?) to honor Native Americans. There is at least one in each state and several Canadian provinces. Arizona's sculpture is located in Winslow.
Bulldog: This six-foot tall fiberglass figure was originally bought by a Winslow citizen to donate to the high school (they are the Bulldogs!) but instead placed it on a plot of land near the high school. It serves two purposes: alters traffic flow and intimidates visiting teams since they have to drive right past it to get to the high school!
9/11 Remembrance Garden: "United We Stand" declares a tribute to the citizens of the United States in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September, 11, 2001. The twisted pieces of steel on either side of the flagpole (which flies a flag flown at the Pentagon) are 14- and 15-foot high rusted steel girders from the Twin Towers in NYC- the largest debris pieces provided to any town in America.
Thumb Up Or Down: UP on both hands!
Miles Round Trip: see next post
Miles To Date: see next post
Percent of List Completed: 60%
Date of This Trip: June 15-17, 2012
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