Page 27 - 2019 Las Vegas & San Miguel Co. Visitors Guide

Governor Theodore Roosevelt stepped off a lux- ury private car on June 23, 1899 to launch the first Rough Riders Reunion. Heavyweight box- ing champion Jack Johnson arrived here in May 1912 to train for his championship fight with lumberjack Jim Flynn on July 4. Just a few years later in 1915-16, rising cowboy matinee idol Tom Mix would film silent “Western” six reel si- lent movies by the tracks.
After 1920, automobiles ushered in the decline of railroad tourism (eclipsed in New Mexico by Route 66) in the United States, and the Castañe- da closed its doors in 1948. The magnificent property was never quite forsaken, as over the years the dining room would occasionally be reopened, and apartments leased in the former hotel rooms. Don and Marie Eldh acquired the property in the early 1970s, and under their management the bar and lounge enjoyed noto- riety and popularity as a disco hangout in the late 1970’s in the frenzied wake of the smash hit movie “Saturday Night Fever.”
Still, the stately Castañeda Hotel, named for one of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s lieutenants, captivated many who
Castañeda Hotel lobby, ca. 1915. (Courtesy Las Vegas Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation).
imagined the possibilities of a restored Fred Harvey hotel in the digital age. One visionary who noticed and dreamed was Allan Affeldt, who together with his artist wife Tina Mion and their business partner Daniel Lutzick, have suc- cessfully revitalized the magnificent La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.
La Posada Hotel, a massive Pueblo Revival style “hacienda” and an ongoing “labor of love,” honed Affeldt’s historic preservation sensibilities. As the former Castañeda’s owners (the Eldhs) sought retirement after 2010, a perfect storm of economic circumstances and opportunity would lure the Winslow group to Las Vegas.
One of the victims of the 2007-08 great re- cession was the Plaza Hotel, and Affeldt’s team acquired the grand Renaissance Revival style
Unveiling of restored sign of Castañeda Hotel, 2019. (photograph by Dan Lutzick)
showplace at a discount in 2014. Almost simul- taneously, a deal was struck for the Castañeda property. The planning and development pro- cess for the Castañeda has been laborious and frustrating and complex, finally bundling feder- al and state historic preservation tax credits, fed- eral New Market tax credits, loans, and equity in a $5 million construction budget for the 40,000 square foot project.
Besides the core team of Affeldt, Mion, and Lutzick, other key project members include ar- chitect Kevin Balciar of Soleil West of Albuquer- que, contractor Jordan Grimm and Associates of Las Vegas, interior design consultant Victo- ria Sanchez of Santa Fe, and well over 100 local builders and craftsmen.
“This is a (Las Vegas) local project,” Affeldt as- serts. “We wanted this to benefit the community as much as possible, and nearly all materials and labor have been provided by Las Vegans.”
Affeldt has signed a contract with reknowned chef Shawn Sinclair, a Le Cordon Bleu trained professional with a long resume of culinary tri- umphs including Albuquerque’s Farm To Ta- ble restaurant, the Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, and Luminaria Restaurant at Santa Fe’s Inn of Loretto for the Castañeda’s gourmet kitchen stewardship.
“The Castañeda will be our upscale destination hotel in Las Vegas, with generous room suites priced at $129-$169 per night and of course the exceptional menu in the restaurant dining room, which will be called “Kin,” Allan points out.
The Castañeda Hotel’s significance transcends its status as one of the few Fred Harvey hotels still preserved and operating. The building’s distinctive arcaded brick veranda helped intro- duce the Mission Revival style to America, and
the Santa Fe Railroad would adopt the popular Mission style extensively in its buildings.
Built in a U shape and facing the tracks, the hotel’s central dining room on the ground floor anchors the building’s floor plan, with a gener- ous kitchen and bakery on the north wing and the lobby, bar and lounge on the south side. The deep, shaded walkways beneath the veran-
Las Vegas Harvey Girls, 2018. L to R: Yvonne Hays, Dee Clark, Martha Johnsen. (photograph by Elmo Baca)
da invite socializing and conversation and fresh breezes from the buffalo plains to the east.
A glorious ornamental staircase ascends from the lobby to the guest rooms on the second floor. Hidden from the visitor’s view are a maze of basement rooms for the heating and plumbing systems, and cavernous attic spaces beneath the roof gables. Maybe the biggest surprise in the Castañeda’s refurbishment is the bold plan to utilize the vast attic for Tina’s artist studio, Allan’s offices, and a gallery space for art and Fred Harvey memorabilia. “You know, kind of like the German notion of “wunderkammer,” a room of curiosities, in our case Fred Harvey stuff like dinner settings, photographs, match- books,” Affeldt adds.
BNSF RR Depot (L), Castañeda Hotel (R), 2019. (photograph by Elmo Baca)
Guest Suite, Castañeda Hotel, 2019. (photograph by Elmo Baca)
Castañeda Hotel, rear facade, 2019. (photograph by Elmo Baca)
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