“The Famous Esclante Hotel”
The hotel opened March 1, 1907, and was built of steel and concrete in the Mission Style of Spanish architecture. The hotel covered the space 420’ X 200’. Cost was approximately $115,000.
On the ground floor of the structure was the lunch room fitted with a circular counter, a large curio shop, newsstand/reading room, and a barber shop. There was also a beautiful crystal chandelier lighted dining room which was somewhat centered within the hotel. The east side of the hotel hosted beautiful gardens.
Ash Fork was an important railroad junction at that time. Passengers and freight bound for central and southern Arizona boarded the trains at the famed Hotel Esclante. Alas, the beautiful hotel was demolished in the ‘70’s. The effort to prevent such a loss failed but will never be forgotten.
Ash Fork Historical Society
Formed 1997
Marker is at the intersection of Lewis Avenue (Business Route 40) and 5th Street, on the right when traveling west on Lewis Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
