{"nrhp_refnum":"02000537","name":"El Garces","other_names":["Needles Atchison, Topeka &amp","Santa Fe Depot"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"950 Front St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Needles","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":34.840750514000035,"lon":-114.60642847899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-05-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"El Garces is a two-story Classical Revival railroad depot, hotel and Harvey House restaurant at 950 Front Street in Needles, California, built in 1908 of cast-in-place concrete beside the Santa Fe tracks and U.S. Route 66.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was a major transportation and commerce center for Needles and the region, and a key Fred Harvey Company facility, reportedly the first Harvey House to be air-conditioned. It is also tied to the early automobile culture of U.S. Route 66 and to a strong railroad freight route. It retains a high degree of integrity despite the 1961 demolition of part of its east wing.","narrative":"Beside the railroad tracks and U.S. Route 66 in Needles, California, El Garces is a two-story depot, hotel and restaurant completed in 1908. Architect Francis Wilson designed it in the Classical Revival style, with cast-in-place concrete walls, paired Tuscan and Ionic columns, and broad loggias that shade the exterior. Inside, the lobby, dining room and lunch room kept ornamental plaster ceilings and tile floors. The Fred Harvey Company ran the hotel and restaurant until 1949, and the building is reported to be the first Harvey House to be air-conditioned. Its thick concrete and open corridors helped it cope with desert heat. In 1961 the Santa Fe demolished about 146 feet of the east wing and converted other spaces to offices. The railroad abandoned the site in 1988. The building now stands empty, with its openings boarded, but it retains its original site, a row of nine fan palms and much of its detail. It was recognized for its role in rail transportation, commerce and the Harvey House tradition.","period_of_significance":"1908-1949","architect_builder":"Francis Wilson (architect, per original plans)","architectural_style":"Late 19th - 20th Century Revival - Classic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Unoccupied; door and window openings covered with plywood for security; stabilization work completed July 2001.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.090342-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/02000537.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000537/1ceda93888-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000537/1ceda93888-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Mark-edit","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_07_19_El_Garces_Needles_CA_02.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Mark-edit</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_07_19_El_Garces_Needles_CA_02.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860743","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Garces_Intermodal_Transportation_Facility","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5351305"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/el-garces-02000537/"}