El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Needles, CA El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility
El Garces Hotel in July 2014
Location	950 Front Street, Needles, California
Coordinates	34°50′27″N 114°36′20″W / 34.84083°N 114.60556°W / 34.84083; -114.60556
Line(s)	BNSF Railway Southern Transcon (Needles Subdivision, Seligman Subdivision)
Platforms	1 side and 1 island platform
Tracks	3
Connections	VVTA: 200 Needles Area Transit
Other information
Station code	NDL
History
Opened	1908
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	9,176  14.5%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Barstow toward Los Angeles Southwest Chief Kingman toward Chicago
Former services Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Goffs toward Los Angeles Main Line Topock toward Chicago
El Garces
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1908
Architect	Francis W. Wilson
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	02000537
Added to NRHP	May 17, 2002

The El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility (also known as Needles station) is a busy train station and bus stop in downtown Needles, California. It was first built in 1908 as a grand hotel and restaurant called El Garces. It was also a station for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 because of its special past.

The Southern Pacific Railroad and the ATSF's Atlantic and Pacific Railroad first met in Needles in 1883. Needles quickly became an important stop on the ATSF's route to Los Angeles. After the first station burned down in 1906, the ATSF built El Garces. This huge building had a hotel, a restaurant, and a train station. It was known as the "crown jewel" of the famous Harvey House hotels. It was also one of the first train stations ever made from concrete.

The hotel and restaurant closed in 1949 as fewer people traveled by train. The ATSF changed the inside of the building for offices and baggage in the 1950s. They even tore down part of the building in 1961. In 1988, the railroad left El Garces completely. The city bought the building in 1999 and reopened it in 2014. Today, it serves as a modern transportation center. In 2016, Amtrak opened a special waiting room for passengers of the Southwest Chief train.

History of the Needles Train Station

The First Station in Needles

In the 1880s, two big railroad companies, the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF), were competing. They both wanted to control the growing travel in the Southwestern United States. On August 9, 1883, the SP finished its railway line from Mojave, California to Needles. There, it connected with the ATSF's Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.

The first train station in Needles was a simple, one-story wooden building. It was one of the very first buildings in the new town. The ATSF soon worried that the SP would send trains on other routes. This would mean less business for Needles. So, the ATSF threatened to build its own railway line west from Needles. In August 1884, the SP sold its line from Mojave to Needles to the Atlantic and Pacific. In 1898, the ATSF added a Harvey House to the station. They also added a second story with hotel rooms for travelers and staff. Sadly, this first station was destroyed by a fire on September 6, 1906.

Building the Grand El Garces

An early postcard of El Garces, showing its grand design

After the fire, the ATSF saw a chance to make Needles a popular place for tourists. This would bring more passengers and money to the railroad. They hired architect Francis W. Wilson to design the new station. He created a huge building that included a train station, a dining room, and a hotel all in one.

The new building, named El Garces, opened on April 3, 1908. It cost about $250,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then. The building was originally about 518 feet (158 m) long and 98 feet (30 m) wide. Many local Mojave people helped build it. El Garces was made of cast in place concrete. This material helped keep the building cool during the hot desert days and warm during the chilly nights. It was the first ATSF station built with concrete. The name "El Garces" came from Padre Francisco Garcés, a Spanish missionary who explored the area in the 1770s.

Most ATSF stations were built in the Mission Revival style, which looked like old Spanish missions. But Wilson designed El Garces in the Classical Revival style. This style was more common for grand buildings on the East Coast. The unique style made Needles seem modern and fit with the Fred Harvey Company's goal of using new designs. The first floor had a lobby, dining room, lunch room, kitchen, and other areas. The second floor had 64 hotel rooms. El Garces was called the "Crown Jewel" of all the Fred Harvey hotels. It was staffed by the famous Harvey Girls, and working there was a very desired job.

Over the years, some changes were made. In 1912, a newsstand replaced the fountain in the main entrance. The lunch room was updated in 1912, 1922, and 1927. During World War II, El Garces was used to feed soldiers traveling on troop trains. Even General George S. Patton visited the hotel often during military exercises in the desert. However, as more people started using cars and airplanes, fewer traveled by train. Because of this, the Harvey Company closed El Garces in 1949.

The ATSF continued to use the building and made more changes in the 1950s. The dining room became office space, and the kitchen was turned into a baggage room. A modern air conditioning system was also added. In 1961, the railroad tore down the east part of El Garces to make a parking lot. This made the building shorter, about 365 feet (111 m) long. Even with fewer facilities, trains like the Super Chief and El Capitan still stopped there. When Amtrak took over passenger train service in the United States on May 1, 1971, they kept one train stopping at Needles. This train was later renamed the Southwest Chief. The ATSF left El Garces completely in 1988 and moved its offices to another building nearby.

Bringing El Garces Back to Life

El Garces during construction in 2007, showing its restoration

In 1993, a group called "Friends of the El Garces" was formed. They wanted to save the building from being torn down. A fire in 1995 damaged part of the old kitchen area. In 1999, the city of Needles bought the building from BNSF Railway, which was the new name for the ATSF. Work to make the building stable was finished in July 2001. El Garces was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 17, 2002.

The city planned to use El Garces for its original purposes: a hotel, restaurant, and train station. Construction to restore it began on March 7, 2007. The project was managed by the people who owned the La Posada Hotel, another Harvey House that had been successfully restored. However, the project faced challenges because the city owned the building. This made it hard to get loans and tax credits.

Eventually, the city received $9 million in federal money and $2.4 million from state and county funds. The project then focused on renovating part of the first floor for transportation use. This included space for Needles Area Transit and Amtrak. The $12 million project to create the El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility was finished in 2014. Amtrak opened a waiting room for Southwest Chief passengers on May 7, 2016. This room is open during the overnight hours when the train arrives.

• Amtrak – Stations – Needles, CA
• USA RailGuide: Needles, CA (NDL)
• Great American Stations (Amtrak): Needles, CA (NDL)