What is the Weatherford Hotel?
This is a Nationally Registered Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona!
What Makes Them Historical?
Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, John Wesley Weatherford made a career selling mining supplies in Arizona and Mexico before moving to Flagstaff in 1886! Here, he opened up a mercantile and even served as justice of the peace from 1887 to 1889! The hotel that would wear his name came about in the wake of some major fires in 1897, which caused the city to pass a new ordinance that all buildings be built from brick!
This was one of the first buildings built under the new ordinance, but it wasn’t supposed to be a hotel at all! Nope, it was supposed to be another store with residential space overhead. To capitalize on railroad tourism, Mr. Weatherford spent $10,000 to expand his store into a hotel, with construction beginning in March of 1899 and opening with the new century on January 1, 1900! Notable guests who stayed here included artist Thomas Moran, newspaper mogul, William Randolph Hearst, and author, Zane Grey, who wrote his novel, The Call of the Canyon, in an upstairs room here!
The hotel’s decline came about in court! See, the Weatherfords had leased their building to many different managers over the years, and when it came time to renew the lease for Mrs. Lulu Hall, Mrs. Weatherford contested it, claiming the building for herself and her son, Hugh! Though the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mrs. Hall, the conflict led to the Weatherfords’ divorce and passing of the hotel through many hands until 1975 when Henry & Lloyd Taylor bought it to save it from demolition! Henry and his wife, Pamela, spent decades restoring the Weatherford Hotel so it could once again house guests in style!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Northern Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society!
- Book a night in the Weatherford Hotel!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
23 N. Leroux Street
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!