Today I attended a presentation by Michaeline Chance-Reay, Ph.D. from Kansas State University about The Harvey Girls. Perhaps, some of you have seen the movie The Harvey girls with Judy Garland and John Hodiak.
The professor told how many farm girls from Kansas and elsewhere were recruited to work on the Harvey Houses situated along the Santa Fe. This brought back memories of my early years in Santa Fe's Engineering Dept. when we always chose to eat at the Harvey Houses because it was the finest food to be found; especially along the RR in Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona. I hope some of you also had the experience to eat at, and stay at a Harvey House.
I stayed at La Posada in Winslow, AZ, which is a restored Harvey House. I also stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, AZ, which is a recreated Harvey House, and run by Xanterra which bought the Harvey House company in 1968.
The finest restaurant in Cleveland's history, bar none, was The English Oak Room in the Cleveland Union Terminal, a Fred Harvey restaurant, just around the corner from the stairs to the train tracks; it opened in 1930. How the Van Sweringens were able to lure the Fred Harvey chain as far east as Cleveland remains a mystery to me.
The walls were panelled in oak from Sherwood Forest, the floor was marble, the beautiful ceiling had a large art nouveau chandelier, and the leather-clad chairs came with leather footrests for ladies and shorter people (these were actually leather kneelers used in some Episcopal churches). The entire atmosphere reeked of class. At lunch time the Oak Room hosted railroad executives like John J. Bernet of the NKP or Rob't Woodruff of the Erie, along with executives from the Great Lakes shipping companies or other railroads. The food was out-of-this-world good; it was the first place I tasted lobster tails or a martini. I was heartbroken when it closed about 1978.
When my wife and I visited the Grand Canyon some years ago we stayed at the El Tovar Hotel there. The restaurant there was, I'm told, the last Fred Harvey restaurant. Once again, more-than-delicious food, uniformed waitresses, and a super atmosphere. It was like a last visit with a beloved friend. Then, poof! We departed, Fred Harvey went under, and an experience like riding the 20th Century Ltd. or sailing on the Normandie was no more to be had. (Sniff)
The food might no longer be as good, but the facility survives and thrives...
https://www.towercitycenter.com/english-oak-room
I appreciate the response, especially about the sophisticated Fred Harvey establishments. However, the cowboys differently appreciated it. This is one of their creations.
Harvey Houses don't you savvy, clear across the old Mojave, on the Santa Fe they strung em like a string of Indian beads
We all couldn't live without them but the finest thing about them is the Harvey Girls that hustle up the food.
Overmod The food might no longer be as good, but the facility survives and thrives... https://www.towercitycenter.com/english-oak-room
I sincerely appreciate you handing me a handkerchief to dry my eyes, Overmod, but I regret to tell you that what's left of the English Oak Room is rather like the skeleton of a once glamorous and vivacious person. The panelling is still there, as are the floor, ceiling and chandeleir, but that's it. All the original furniture is long gone (the chairs went to Cleveland City Hall), as is the extensive kitchen equipment, to say nothing of the wonderful cooks, staff, and black-and-white starched waitresses. So, putting it mildly, there's almost nothing to interest the passing flaneur.
Allow me to attach a link to a large group of photos of Fred Harvey's establishments inside the Cleveland Union Terminal:
http://harvey.library.arizona.edu/finding_aid/9oh/2/welcome.html
As a small boy, my favorite shop was Fred Harvey's Toy Store, which had a remarkable display of, among other things, cowboy-and-Indian "equipment," reflecting the company's Southwest/Santa Fe heritage. I recall gorgeous feathered headdresses, some full length down the back, moccasins and quivvers. The bow & arrow sets had real points on the tips; none of that rubber suction cup stuff. You really could put your eye out, as Ralphie's mother might say. The tomahawks were equally beautiful and dangerous. Young cowboys had a choice of hats, spurs, lariats, firearms including BB guns, realistic rifles, pistols, holsters,etc. For some of us, Fred Harvey's in the C.U.T. gave a taste of getting off El Capitan in Albuquerque to buy souvenirs.
I once heard Fred Harvey himself was known to be a real penny-pincher, and his last words were reputed to be, "Slice the ham thinner." We can believe that if we want to.
1957 - 1967 my office was at Bolt Beranek & Nreman's Canbridge HQ, with frequent job visits in Cincinnati, Dayton, St. Louis, Columbus, Indianapolis, I'd usually fly to the meetying or job site, but return by train. Usually it was in coach on a NYCity-bound train to Cleveland, then roomette or Slumbercoach on the New England States to Boston.
I was Walter Holtkamp favorite acoustical consultant, and the return trip's hour-to-ninety-minute layover always meant dinner with Walter in the Oak Room and exchange of many useful ideas that benefited both of us, and terrific food. While not (yet?) a fully Orthodox Jew, I did avoid shellfish and meat, but found the fish and vegetables and salads and deserts delicious. now wonderful memories.
Christian Holtkamp, current President of Holtkamp Organs, is Walter's Grandson. I knew his father, "Chick," worked with him, but met Chris only once before moving to Israel.
It's North America's oldest organ building compny.
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