El Tovar Hotel

El Tovar Hotel
In 2017
El Tovar Hotel is located in Arizona
El Tovar Hotel
El Tovar Hotel is located in the United States
El Tovar Hotel
LocationGrand Canyon National Park, Rte. 8A,
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Coordinates36°03′27″N 112°08′14″W / 36.05750°N 112.13722°W / 36.05750; -112.13722
Area4.1 acres (1.7 ha)
Built1905
ArchitectCharles Whittlesey
Architectural styleSwiss Chalet; Norway Villa
Part ofGrand Canyon Village Historic District (ID75000343)
NRHP reference No.74000334[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 6, 1974
Designated NHLMay 28, 1987
Designated NHLDCPFebruary 18, 1987

The El Tovar Hotel, also known simply as El Tovar, is a former Harvey House hotel situated directly on the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States.

The hotel was designed by Charles Whittlesey, Chief Architect for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway and was opened in 1905 as one of a chain of hotels and restaurants owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe railway whose Grand Canyon Depot was 100 metres (330 ft) away. It is at the northern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, which was formerly a branch of the Santa Fe Railroad.

The hotel is one of only a handful of former Harvey House facilities that are still in operation, and is an early example of the style that would evolve into National Park Service Rustic architecture.[2] It has been a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, since 2012.[3]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ "Grand Canyon Depot". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  3. ^ "Hotel History – El Tovar Hotel". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved December 14, 2022.