In 1908, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad opened the El Garces Harvey House Hotel in Needles, California. After the town’s original depot burned in 1906, the railroad went all out on this replacement. Built in the Classical Revival style, the concrete structure, with its tall columns and wide verandas, looked more like a grand civic building than a desert train stop.
Run by the Fred Harvey Company, El Garces was quickly nicknamed “the Crown Jewel” of the Harvey House chain. The lunchroom could seat 140 travelers at two large horseshoe-shaped counters, and meals came with linen, silver, china, and even fresh flowers. For the famous Harvey Girls, working here was considered a top assignment.
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The hotel and restaurant closed in 1949 as train travel declined, but the building lived on as Santa Fe Railway offices until 1988. It sat empty for years until the Friends of El Garces stepped in to save it. The effort paid off and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and reopened in 2014 as the El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility.
Today, El Garces serves Amtrak passengers, Needles Area Transit, and the local community. Though it’s no longer a Harvey House hotel, the building remains one of Needles’ most important landmarks and a must-see stop along Route 66. Outside, you’ll also find a World War I memorial cannon, marker, and a decorative Route 66 bench.
Photos of the El Garces Harvey House in Needles, California
