DESIGN

HISTORICALLY DESIGNED HOTEL

The historical Hotel St. Francis has the distinction of being Santa Fe’s oldest hotel and holds a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Built originally as the De Vargas Hotel, this elegant and unique hotel has provided guests with a home-away-from-home in downtown Santa Fe for more than a century.

Along with this deeply-rooted history as one of the most historic hotels in Santa Fe, Hotel St. Francis offers today’s guests a unique hotel experience through the New Mexico art and New Mexico artifacts visible throughout its lobby and hallways.

The Hotel St. Francis design reflects the simple and spiritual style of the Franciscan Missionary Order. It exemplifies serenity, spirituality and simplicity in the heart of the vibrant city of Santa Fe. The elegant white, Mexican marble of our lobby reflects the flickering light of candles spaced throughout. A stone baptismal font serves as the lobby’s focal point. Various handmade crosses and historical religious prints and images throughout this unique hotel celebrate Santa Fe’s spiritual history.

HOTEL DESIGN DETAILS

Discover how the historical Hotel St. Francis design offers guests the best when it comes to authentic historical culture in interior design and architecture

Colors - The light-colored earth tones seen throughout the historical Hotel St. Francis were inspired by the colors of wool from churro sheep brought to New Mexico by Spanish missionaries.
Wood furniture - Wood furniture in the lobby and hallways was crafted by local artisans with Hands of America, providing just one example of unique art here. Other fine pieces that show expert woodworking craftsmanship include the lobby statue of St. Francis, carved from a single piece of wood.
Religious prints - Dozens of religious prints can be seen in the lobby and in hallways. Some of these works of unique art date back centuries.
Chests - The wooden chests seen on the second and third floors date to the days of El Camino Real. Chests like these would have been used to carry goods like grain and would have been rolled.
Prints - Prints and New Mexico artifacts displayed on the second and third floor landings give a picture of historic Santa Fe and range from original ledger books from the De Vargas Hotel to images showing celebrations and cityscapes.
Fireplace in lobby - The grand fireplace is original to the De Vargas Hotel, and the mantle survived the 1922 fire that destroyed the original building.
Light fixtures - The light fixture hanging by our staircase once hung in Santa Fe’s original capitol building, making it one of the unique hotel’s Santa Fe and New Mexico artifacts.
Luggage Carts - If our luggage carts resemble antique bed headboards and footboards, it is because they were created from original De Vargas Hotel beds.
St. Francis statue - A wooden statue of St. Francis standing in our lobby shows master craftsmanship - it is carved from a single piece of wood.
Marble flooring - The white marble used on the lobby floor originated in Mexico.
Secreto Lounge - Secreto Lounge stands in the site of a historic barbershop.
Dining space - The dining space at Hotel St. Francis was historically a stable.
Pane of glass - One pane of glass in one lobby window dates back to the original De Vargas Hotel. It survived the fire that destroyed the building in 1922. The lobby fireplace mantle also survived the fire.