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In 1890, the Hanford Development Company was organized, among whose membership were J.E.Rawlings and J.S.Robinson, for the sole purpose of erecting the Artesia Hotel on the corner of Front (6th) Street and Irwin Street. In the disastrous fire of June 1891, the grand hotel was destroyed, after only a few short months of even larger size was reopened on the first of July 1892. The plush hotel was the largest and tallest building in Hanford until the construction of the Opera House and Grand Central Hotel at the southeast corner of Irwin and Seventh Streets across an alley from the Artesia in 1893. The most beautiful Artesia Hotel was considered to be one of the best conducted hotels in the San Joaquin Valley! The location was convenient to businesses and transportation was provided to and from the arriving and departing trains which stopped at the passenger station. The Artesia Hotel's grandeur dominated Front Street which was, at the time, the main street of the railroad community. After 1897, when the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad began service to Hanford, its passengers used the lovely Artesia Hotel as well. It was it's grand lobby that made the Artesia Hotel so unique. There was a large open area, two stories tall with a huge Tiffany glass dome overhead. A prolific fern garden was set off by changing light patterns as the sun passes its was from east to west each day. The grand staircase with its Victorian carved banister, railing and curved arches lead to a balcony. Varicolored hardwoods were used to pattern the lobby floor. Early occupants of street level shops included the Artesia Barber Shop of Richeson and Bennett, Bush and Hight's Abstract Office and Dodge and Graves' Artesia Drug Store. The Hanford Reading Room, the forerunner of the Hanford Public Library was also housed in the building prior to the construction of the Carnegie Library. The Artesia Hotel building was renovated in the early 1980's to a near original appearance from the outside, providing office space for prospective tenants on the inside. Even though the skylight and pressed metal ceiling were retained, the artesian well and fountain were unfortunately capped and removed. |
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