That Was Then... This Is Now

Recently I consulted on a project out in New Mexico up near the Taos area. While there, I spent a brief time in Santa Fe. I have always loved the unique qualities of Santa Fe and the opportunity to revisit had some pleasurable moments.

The first time I went to Santa Fe was over twenty years ago when I was an art director with the Horchow Collection. The trip was supposed to be shared by a couple of friends, but as the advertising world would have it, unmet deadlines prevented my two friends from going on the trip. I was determined to make the trip, even if I had to go it alone... and as it turned out, being alone gave me a whole different perspective and experience than if I had friends along. I had the best time!

Since I wanted to be in the heart of the town, where I could just get around on foot, my choice of accommodations was limited since I was on a very tight travel budget. My home of choice away from home was the De Vargas Hotel at 210 Don Gaspar Ave, around the corner from the town plaza. It was the type of place that you could tell had been at one time a very fashionable hotel, but the years had taken a toll on it. It had become a place of questionable reputation... and the "guests" were very interesting in a precarious fashion. I really do believe that it was trying to hang onto what little respect that it had left...

In retrospect, I wish that I had taken more photos of the hotel

Most of the guests were subject to sharing the bath facilities down the hall from the rooms. But, being that I was a single young (naive) lady traveling alone, I was given a room with my own en suite bath. Hey, the sheets and towels were clean... so what more did I need?

The De Vargas Hotel is quite historical. The original hotel was built in the 1880's, destroyed by fire, and rebuilt in the 1920's. During the 1930s and 1940s, when the state capitol was across the street, the hotel served as a popular gathering place for politicians. What I experienced was the shadow of a one time grand hotel. It still had the phone circuit board with the cords and plugs that required the assistance of an operator. Behind the hotel desk was a tall, dark and scary looking man... and to my relief,was extremely kind. No concern of Hitchcock type events here!

Tall, Dark... and Scary!

Enclosed Courtyard

Shortly after my visit there, the hotel was "renovated" into a Victorian style boutique hotel - how ghastly it must have been!

During my recent visit to Santa Fe I went by the old De Vargas Hotel to see what had transpired... and to my delight and amazement it was the day of their grand re-opening... as the St. Francis Hotel! The following photos are from their website: http://www.hotelstfrancis.com/index.php

The newly renovated spaces went through quite a transformation...

The new hotel desk is in the same corner as the original was













Enclosed Courtyard



Veranda or Colonnade of the front entrance

What a pleasure to see the old De Vargas Hotel re-invent itself into a beautiful space with the form, light and shadow being the dominant features. I have to say however, that their recently added photos to the website depicting their addition of accessories has taken away from the ethereal ambiance of the space... in this case less is certainly more!