Baker Hotel (Mineral Wells, Texas)

USA / Texas / Mineral Wells / Mineral Wells, Texas / U.S. Route 280 (East Hubbard Street), 200
 hotel, building, place with historical importance, abandoned / shut down, historic landmark, haunted house / building
The Baker Hotel, in Mineral Wells, Texas, was opened November 22nd, 1929 and was designed after the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which is still operating today. The Baker is 14 stories tall and has 460 rooms. The Baker has the first structured above ground swimming pool in Texas. Many celebrities stayed at The Baker including Lawrence Welk, Judy Garland, Clark Gable, The Three Stooges, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans. Even Bonnie and Clyde stayed here using an alias. The hotel closed in 1972 and is presently for sale.

History

In 1926 Baker Hotel construction began, with completion in late 1929. It cost $1,250,000.00. Built in the style of the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas, not quite Art Deco, but still a product of the Roaring 20s.

Facts and Figures

* The Baker Hotel was the second hotel in the United States of America to have a swimming pool.
* Several minutes of "Dead Famous" - Bonnie and Clyde (2005), which airs occasionally on the Biography Channel (BIO), where filmed inside the Baker Hotel.
some say it's haunted, here's the link,
www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/MineralWellsTe...
www.ghosteyes.com/haunted-baker-hotel
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Hotel_(Mineral_Wells,_Texas)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°48'34"N   98°6'40"W

Comments

  • what a shame. this is a beautiful old building left to rot in a town with very little to offer tourists, therefore very little reason to be.
  • Check out this website where you can do a virtual walk through of the hotel in it's present condition: http://www.bakerhotel.us/ pdfproductreviews.blogspot.com
  • Recent annoncements have been made to restore the Baker. Projected cost is $54 million. The property developement firm hopes to start work by 2011. We'll see how it goes. It would be nice to see it up and running again.
This article was last modified 6 years ago