The first etching of the hotel at the corner of San Francisco and Shelby, by Theodore B. Davis of Harper's Weekly, in 1846. In the background is La Parochia, the church that was built in 1717 and replaced in 1869 by St. Francis Cathedral. The Exchange Hotel sat on what might be the oldest hotel corner in the United States. The corner of San Francisco and Shelby Street in Santa Fe, New Mexico has held a hotel since, perhaps, before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock.
Although there is no documentation before 1822, when the Santa Fe Trail opened, tradition says that an inn, or tavern stood on that corner for hundreds of years before that time. Some suggest that the first inn was built there in 1609, when the city was first founded..
Although there is no documentation before 1822, when the Santa Fe Trail opened, tradition says that an inn, or tavern stood on that corner for hundreds of years before that time. Some suggest that the first inn was built there in 1609, when the city was first founded..
By 1822, the inn (or fonda in Spanish) that stood there was a well-known rendezvous for trappers, traders, pioneers, merchants, soldiers and politicians. Its gaming tables held faro and monte games, and its luncheons were considered the best in town. Located at the end of the Santa Fe Trail and the Camino Real, it was the scene of many celebrations.
n 1846, when General Stephen Watts Kearny conquered New Mexico for the United States as part of the Mexican-American War, the fonda was taken over by Americans. For a few years it was known as The United States Hotel, but by 1850 it had changed its name to The Exchange.
As the only hotel in town, the Exchange was the site of many grand balls and receptions. John Fremont, Kit Carson, U.S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, Lew Wallace and William Tecumseh Sherman are known to have stayed here.
n 1846, when General Stephen Watts Kearny conquered New Mexico for the United States as part of the Mexican-American War, the fonda was taken over by Americans. For a few years it was known as The United States Hotel, but by 1850 it had changed its name to The Exchange.
As the only hotel in town, the Exchange was the site of many grand balls and receptions. John Fremont, Kit Carson, U.S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, Lew Wallace and William Tecumseh Sherman are known to have stayed here.
But by the turn of the twentieth century, the building that held the Exchange was no longer in its prime. New hotels, such as the Capital, the Palace, and De Vargas, had better amenities. In 1907, the Exchange was converted into a boarding house, which became seedier and seedier over the years. In 1917, a fire damaged much of the building. By 1919, it was slated for demolition.
The Exchange met her end during a gigantic Victory Bond Rally in April 1919. During the rally, all the shops in town closed and the citizens gathered in the Plaza to hear speeches by local dignitaries and World War I heroes. People who bought Victory Bonds valued at $100 or more were allowed to drive Mud Puppy, a two man tank that had seen action in the Argonne Forest. By the end of the rally, the corner entrance of the building was demolished. A year later, a new hotel, the La Fonda, rose from the ruins of the Exchange.
Jennifer Bohnhoff writes historical fiction set in New Mexico. Where Duty Calls, book 1 of the Rebels Along the Rio Grande is about the Civil War. A Blaze of Poppies takes place during World War I.
