Saturday, April 10, 2010

Barstow (at the house Fred Harvey built) - Weekend Reflection

My contribution to James' Weekend Reflections.
"Gateway to the Mojave...Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau"
In this shot, even I'm not sure what is reflected and what is the actual image.
The Casa del Desierto (also known as the Harvey House Railroad Depot) is a former Harvey House in Barstow, California, that now functions as an unstaffed Amtrak station as well as housing Barstow city offices and two museums.
The station was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. It was designed by Mary Colter. The station was closed by the Santa Fe in 1973, but was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. (Ref. Wikipedia)

The Harvey House is something I've meant to visit for a long time - making a note of the historical landmark sign on the I-15, as we'd whiz by at 75 mph. It is well worth the short detour.


14 comments:

Gerald (SK14) said...

O I really love the shadows in the bottom shot (bottoms are butt ends here!!)

brattcat said...

It's much fancier than I'd imagined it. Thanks!

Saretta said...

Amazing reflection and neat building, too.

Louis la Vache said...

Modern architects just can't seem to design stately buildings like this anymore. «Louis» has heard of this building, but these are the first photos of it he's seen.

Clytie said...

Very beautiful shots. I drove through Barstow once, but never stopped. Now I wish I had!!!

Anonymous said...

Garsh, Huell.
You're accomplishing the impossible -- giving me an itch to visit Barstow.

(Another female architect -- so Julia Morgan wasn't the only one around/about the era.)

cieldequimper said...

I love these inside outside reflections! What a grand building!

Anya said...

Amazing reflections :)))
Unique shots ...

Oakland Daily Photo said...

This Barstow building is indeed stately. Love the reflection and the dark, dark shadow on the right. Like «Louis» I have great nostalgia for Route 66--The Mother Road. Several years back we took the old Route 66 from the midwest through to Barstow. I was shocked to recognize the road into town. I suddenly realized it was a snippet memory from a road trip with my family when I was 12! Until then I had always wondered where that image came from.

Thanks for your recent comments. You are indeed the Queen of Google searches!

James said...

All are great shots. I like the shadows in the bottom one and the reflection int he top is awesome. The blue sky looks pretty nice too.

humanobserver said...

that is a nice reflection shot

Pasadena Adjacent said...

You have me wondering what hi point you were standing on to be able to get the shot looking down at the building. Meaning Barstow has more then one two story building.

I'm sure architects could design such structures if tax payers are will to pay the bill.

Keith said...

I've driven by countless times and had no idea a building that beautiful was there. I'll have to stop next time.

Powell River Books said...

When I first got my teaching credential in the early 70's jobs were hard to come by. There was a joke going around that they were hiring in Blythe, Barstow and Banning. All advertised as "garden" spots. I finally landed a job in another B place, Bellflower. - Margy