La Fonda on the Plaza

May 18

One of my favorite experiences in Santa Fe was the FREE docent tour at La Fonda on the Plaza. I had walked past the hotel many times, and even poked around in the lobby and its shops once or twice. But the tour was a real eye-opener: the hotel has a fascinating history. It also has a vast, multimillion-dollar art collection that is displayed year-round for hotel guests and curious visitors to enjoy.

Here are some highlights from what learned the tour:

400+ years of hospitality - “La Fonda” means “The Inn,” and people have been renting rooms at this location since 1607, making it the oldest hotel location in the country.
Best fundraiser ever - In 1919, local residents purchased $100 war bonds for the chance to steer the “Mud Puppy” tank and help tear down the old hotel. The rally raised $200,000 toward the construction of a new hotel in 1922.
Iconic architects - The hotel was designed by John Gaw Meem, the father of the Santa Fe Pueblo Revival style, and Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, who also designed/decorated the lodges at the Grand Canyon.
Harvey House - From 1925-1968, La Fonda was a Harvey House, a hotel chain famous for fine dining, quality accommodations, and the signature “Harvey Girls” (unmarried young women expertly trained as waitresses).
Manhattan Project - La Fonda was the social hub for Oppenheimer’s team of scientists. Undercover FBI agents dressed as hotel employees monitored the conversations to ensure no secrets were spilled. Anyone drunk enough to talk too much was promptly escorted to a hotel room and had his pants taken.
Artists in Residence - Ernesto Martinez was a furniture repairman at La Fonda who became the hotel’s in-house artist, painting the fanciful windowpanes of La Plazuela restaurant and creating many other beautiful works displayed in the hotel. Several noted itinerant artists received free room and board in exchange for original paintings and other artwork now displayed at the hotel.