Moments of Enchantment; 118; The Montezuma Hotel

Moments of Enchantment, brought to you by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs and 770 K-O-B Radio. Las Vegas, New Mexico in the late 1800s was a Wild West town, teaming with glamour, grit and booming commerce. Not far from this colorful town on the Santa Fe Trail, a remarkable resort was being built. The Montezuma Hotel held the status of legendary resort from the first day in open, more in a moment. Located near a site of natural hot springs just a few miles from Las Vegas, the grand Montezuma Hotel was the brainchild of the adjacent to Peaca and Santa Fe Railroad. From its inception, the hotel was to be a cut above the rest. It would lure wealthy tourists from around the world. The Montezuma was designed in the popular Queen Anne style. It stood four stories high and cost more than $200,000 to construct in the 1880s.

A local newspaper, the Las Vegas Daily Optic, reported in an 1882 article that in elegance of architecture and finish, it had no equal in the far west. Indeed, it appeared that no expense had been spared with this Montezuma Hotel, from its lavish axminster carpets, to its silk-edged lace curtains. The resort offered its guests such amenities as a ladies' library, lawn tennis, and croquet, a burrow trail, even a four-lane bowling alley. Room charges at the Montezuma Hotel were higher than its competitors, three to four dollars per day, with a bridal suite going for $11. But with all the luxurious details, such as meals of green sea turtle soup and steaks, a couple could easily spend $100 a day at the Montezuma. The resort splendor and popularity could not insulate it from disaster, less than two years after its opening, the Montezuma Hotel burned to the ground. It was rebuilt, but the hotel would experience more fires and financial troubles.

In 1903, the Montezuma closed, never to reopen as a hotel. During a 70-year span, the Montezuma was held by the YMCA, the Baptist Church, and a Catholic Seminary. In 1982, the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West opened on the property. Today, the Castle on the Hill serves as a bold reminder of New Mexico's glorious years of the 1880s and 1890s. Moments of Enchantment brought to you by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs. For Moments of Enchantment, I am David Griffin.