The Geiser Grand Hotel is a historic hotel in

Baker City, Oregon Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History Pl ...

, that opened in 1889. It received a restoration and reopened in 1993 after closing in 1968. Decorations include

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

columns up to a high ceiling, Victorian-style chandeliers, and a stained glass ceiling. It was known as "the Queen of the Mines" during

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

times and described as being the finest hotel between

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

and

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

with the third

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

built west of the Mississippi River.

Architecture

The hotel was built in an

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

Victorian architecture Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

style designed by architect

John Bennes John Virginius Bennes (August 23, 1867 – November 29, 1943) was an American architect who designed numerous buildings throughout the state of Oregon, particularly in Baker City and Portland. In Baker City he did an extensive redesign of the ...

, and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

within the Baker Historic District. Originally named Hotel Warshauer for hotel proprietor Louis F Cook. the hotel opened in November 1889. According to Oregon Encyclopedia, Bennes made "modifications" to the hotel and didn't arrive in Baker until 1900. An original postcard of the hotel states that the hotel was built and owned by the Baker Brothers. According to the Oregonian newspaper, Mr. Geiser bought the hotel in 1900 and in 1901 planned "another story" (which obviously was not built), a reconstructed interior, and the installation of all the latest conveniences and appliances. The hotel was renamed and reopened on January 1, 1902 with the name Geiser Grand Hotel. Information on what modifications Bennes made has not been found, all sources give Bennes complete credit for the building.

Hotel occurrences and stories

A 1906 story in the

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of Pe ...

titled ''Baker City Has No Poor'' gave an account with the hotel as a setting, with the story concluding that "Baker City was the most fortunate place in the country." In 1959 a clerk helped apprehend a pair of robbers at the hotel by complaining of

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

and getting the robbers to tie her up loosely and then freeing herself to call the police as they left. Country music singer

Presley Wayne Spriet Presley is a surname and given name. Etymology The name ''Presley'' is derived from the Old English ''preost'', meaning "priest", and ''leah'' meaning "forest clearing". History Most instances of the surname ''Presley'' and variants ''Pressley' ...

gave his last performance at the hotel the night before his death in 1997. Based on various reported sightings, the hotel may be haunted.Leslie Rule
Coast to coast ghosts
true stories of hauntings across America pages 156-158 Bennes is believed to have come from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n stock, although he may have been born in

Peru, Illinois Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,896 at the 2020 census, down from 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peru and its twin city, LaSalle, make up ...

, and came to Baker City from Chicago ca. 1900Oregon State University Historic District
section 8, page 22 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service and designed several other buildings in the area before moving to Portland.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places Oregon 1889 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Baker City, Oregon Clock towers in Oregon Historic district contributing properties in Oregon Hotel buildings completed in 1889 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Baker County, Oregon Victorian architecture in Oregon Reportedly haunted locations in Oregon