Architect, Interior Designer. She has been called "the architect of the Southwest" for her rough-hewn designs, which combined Spanish and Native American influences with a contemporary spirit. She was educated at the California School of Design in San Francisco. In 1901 the Fred Harvey Company offered her a job decorating its landmark Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque. After 1910 she worked full time for the company and completed twenty one projects for Harvey and the Santa Fe railroad. From 1905 to 1935 she designed five structures on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and the Phantom Ranch buildings at the bottom. Her other famous projects include the El Navajo hotel in Gallup, New Mexico (1923), the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona (1929), and the moderne restaurant of Union Station in Los Angeles (1939). Colter considered La Posada her masterpiece and although closed by the Santa Fe railroad in 1957, it has since been restored. She retired to Santa Fe in 1948. The closing of La Posada caused her to remark, "There is such a thing as living too long." She died the following year. Five of Colter's structures have been designated National Historic Landmarks and her Grand Canyon buildings are noted tourist attractions.
Architect, Interior Designer. She has been called "the architect of the Southwest" for her rough-hewn designs, which combined Spanish and Native American influences with a contemporary spirit. She was educated at the California School of Design in San Francisco. In 1901 the Fred Harvey Company offered her a job decorating its landmark Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque. After 1910 she worked full time for the company and completed twenty one projects for Harvey and the Santa Fe railroad. From 1905 to 1935 she designed five structures on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and the Phantom Ranch buildings at the bottom. Her other famous projects include the El Navajo hotel in Gallup, New Mexico (1923), the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona (1929), and the moderne restaurant of Union Station in Los Angeles (1939). Colter considered La Posada her masterpiece and although closed by the Santa Fe railroad in 1957, it has since been restored. She retired to Santa Fe in 1948. The closing of La Posada caused her to remark, "There is such a thing as living too long." She died the following year. Five of Colter's structures have been designated National Historic Landmarks and her Grand Canyon buildings are noted tourist attractions.
Bio by: Ron Overley
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