Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-08-21
OLD LANDMARK
MAY Be RAzED
Exchange Hotel
Property Changes
Hands
ONCE FAMOUS RESORT
Marks Western Terminus
of Santa Fe Trail and Was
Lively Place.

terday for the sale of the old Ex.
change Hotel property at the south.
east corner Of the Plaza and during
It's halcyon days one of the most ia.
nous resorts in the Southwest. T. z.
Winter, of the Winter Grocery Com
pany, is the new landlord having pur-
chased ii from A. Staab The price
paid has not been made public but it
Is believed to be about $4,000
With the change of ownership this
historic landmark may be torn down
and a modern two story business
block erected upon the site. Mr.. Win
ter's lease of his present store ex-
pires within few months and he pur-
chased the old hostelry with view
OF moving into it if it could be re.
paired at a reasonable figure or hay
ing 1t razed to make room for a more
modern store building. The location
Is one of the best in the city, situated
as 1t is in the heart of the business
center.
Il have not fully decided just what
| will have done with the old build
Ing" Mr. Winter stated this morning
in discussing the purchase of the
property. 1T is in pretty bad shape
just now and some of the walls are
liable to fall down. / may have it re-
paired for the time being but that
will depend entirely upon the condi-
ton of the building. | will know
later"
Proposition for Theater and Lodge
Rooms.
MI Winter contemplates having a
two story block put up on the premis-
es If ne decides to tear down the old
adobe structure now there He is
trying to interest members of Santa
Fe Lodge No. 460, B. P. o. Elks. into
leasing part of the proposed new
building for theater and club rooms.
He OF course intends having his gro
Gerry store in the front part and on
the ground floor, but says that the
building could be built large enough
to have the rear part utilized as an
opera house. What action will be
taken on this proposition by the local
Elks is not known as they already
have piece of property on which
they intended erecting combined
quarters and theater. They made an
effort to purchase the old hotel two
years ago from Mr. Staab but at That
time he refused to sell it for less
than $4,000 which they considered
too high and ceased further negotia
tions
Marked End of Santa Fe Trail.
The Exchange Hotel marked the
western terminus of the old Santa
Fe trail and was scene of activity
when the wagon trains were the only
means of transportation of freight
across the great American des 3rt.
The construction of the t.hison, %
peka and Santa Fe Railway system
which follows practically the same
route across what are now Kansas,
Colorado and New Mexico, supplant- :.
ed the old wagon trail as an artery
of commerce and the plodding OK
teams drawing heavily freighted wag-
ons disappeared
With its principal source Of revenue
gone after the trail had been aban-
doned the Exchange deterioated from
lack of patronage and it's decadencs
has been particularly marked during
the past few years. It's usefulness as
a hotel ended some years ago, after
which the front part was converted in
to meat market, and the rear into
a rooming house. During the past
few months the building has been al.
most entirely vacated as the walls
have exhibited signs of weakening
and are in danger of collapsing.
Favorite Rendezvous of Americans.
The old hotel building is one
story adobe structure and covers con
siderable ground space in addition to
the big corral in the rear enclosed
with an adobe wall almost as high as
The roof of the hostelry. A bar room
and gambling paraphernalia were in
lispensable features during its palmy
days and thousands of dollars are said
to have been won and lost on roulette,
faro and other games of chance in
single night.
Americans living within hundred
miles of this city in those days were
wont to make pilgrimage here at
east once a year to get back to civil
ization for the nonce, spend their
money in having good time after
heir long periods of isolation from
he rest of humanity, and they invari-
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