Fred Harvey's Great Grandson, Byron - An Obituary

Byron S. Harvey, III, age 73, of Boston, MA, formerly of Chicago, died December
20, of a heart attack. Husband of Joy (Colby); father of Charles Harvey,
MD of Bourbonnais, IL and Grosse Pointe, MI, Richard Harvey of London,
England, Katherine Harvey of Somerville, MA, Henry Harvey of Brooklyn, NY,
and Stephen Harvey of Chicago, IL and New York, NY; Brother of Helen
Harvey Mills and Julian W. Harvey, both of Chicago, IL. He is also
survived by seven grandchildren. Graduate of The Latin School of Chicago,
Andover, and the University of Chicago ('54). A noted collector and
scholar of Native American art and culture, Byron was responsible for
donations to museums, libraries, and cultural centers throughout the U.S.,
including the gift to the Field Museum while in his youth of an important
group of Hopi kachina dolls. His major legacy was the gift of over 2,000
objects to the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, where he also arranged for the
donation of the major collection of Native art formed by the Fred Harvey
Company, founded by his great-grandfather. In recent years he was an
active volunteer and donor to Boston-area museums. A Memorial Service and
interment took place on Saturday, January 21, at Rosehill
Cemetery and Chapel, 5800 North Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL. Donations in his memory may be made to the Mount Pleasant Home, 301 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130,
617-522-7600, www.mountpleasanthome.org.

- from Jim McPherson of the Arizona Preservation
Published in the Chicago Tribune on 1/1/2006.

LATEST NEWS ON THE HARVEY HOUSE "HAVASU"
Asbestos in the Havasu

Several of you have asked for more news, current progress. Here's what's been happening, as quoted from early 2006 correspondence (slightly edited for clarity).

***
(TO BNSF)

I understand that someone from the RR is checking out the asbestos situation at the Havasu -- apparently still some in the roof and also underneath the building. Do you know anything about this? What impact would this have (on us)?

Happy New Year. It's nice to be working with you.

Mary Clurman

...
(TO BNSF)

Thanks for your time on the phone this morning.

I guess my thought is that BNSF has experience in asbestos abatement since, as your note below indicates, its cost is a factor in the RR's proceeding with the Havasu at all. We, on the other hand, have no experience whatever with it, or at least not as a group. We need to know what we are buying.

But to me, rather than being a deterrent to purchase, an understanding of the asbestos issue is just another factor that must help shape our plans, as it has BNSF's. I intend to follow through to the end, believing strongly that a revitalized Havasu will be a critical magnet for the town -- it's a bit of beauty and bygone extravagance that gives a lift to all who see it. It should not be destroyed.

So. After we spoke I remembered that I have a good friend who works in environmental quality control, -- without having to go too far, we may get some help on understanding the implications for this project.

I started working on this some years ago and actually assembled the current group, and so far it seems my best bet is to follow my instincts -- when a roadblock threatens, the best course is to understand it.

I'll let you know how it goes and what I find.

Mary Clurman

***

(TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONTROL CONTACT)

Hi Richard,

The current hurdle at the Harvey House is that
the RR removed some but not all asbestos in the
'90's. The roof, which they'd have had to
dismantle to clean out (under tile, in tarpaper,
etc), and the crawlspace under the building
(pipe wrappings) were left unabated.

We've been working on buying the property but
thought that all asbestos was already out. Now it
seems that, were we to own it outright and then%C2

The Seligman Harvey House, "Havasu"

When the Santa Fe Railroad built the Seligman Harvey House, ca. 1890, the company christened it Havasu. The Indian name furthered Fred Harvey's developing tradition, part of his grand vision of fine dining for the newly opened Western United States.

Harvey was not only a great marketer but also a gracious host and restaurateur. The Havasu, like La Posada in Winslow, El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, as well as the Fray Marcos in Williams and the Escalante in Ash Fork, both now razed, offered a comfortable destination for those eager to explore the rugged West. Even as a stopover it gave real relief from sleeping on trains and consuming the stale coffee and rancid bacon typically offered railside.

In addition to the railroad's ticket office, a roundhouse and 11 tracks running through, the Havasu sported a reading room, a large, curving lunch counter, a bar, a restaurant, and 50+ well-appointed rooms for staff and travelers, plus a doctor's office and the only telephone for miles around. For truly fine dining, Harvey brought in fresh, natural produce from the nearby Del Rio ranch, preparing it in the grand European manner. The now famous Harvey Girls served from the extensive menu on delicate china, with sterling silverware, Irish linen, and flowers from the Havasu's garden.

The Havasu is still a grand building, but it's crumbling, the timber and half-timber details of its Prairie-style facade yielding to sun and wind; windows are boarded, and the red tile roof leaks here and there. The huge building is slated for demolition -- not today, but in some unspecified tomorrow. That gives us a chance to save it.

The best idea seems to be to get a commercial appraisal for the land alone and then make an offer to Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which inherited it from the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. That will allow us to work for grants to restore the property.

If you would like to help preserve and restore this handsome bit of history, with its ties to the the heyday of the railroad and to what is now the last of America's once-Wild West, please send donations to the Seligman Historical Society, a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization. Mark your donation, "Havasu." The mailing address is:

Seligman Historical Society
P. O. Box 51
Seligman, AZ 86337
12/15 draft