Morgan and Kaufmann
S
oule also explains that the original builder of La Quinta, San Francisco
businessman Walter Morgan, came to the desert because of his health.
Morgan named his resort “La Quinta” because he learned from his travels
in Mexico that the word to describe a main ranch house surrounded by
“casitas,” or smaller homes, was “quinta,” which is what La Quinta was when
its first 20 buildings went up in 1926.
The original layout was conceived by Gordon Kaufmann, who named
all the original casitas after Catholic saints and arranged them by name in
alphabetical order. Doors and shutters were painted blue, partly based upon
desert lore that painting them blue would keep evil spirits out and invite
happiness in. Kaufmann went on to design the
Los Angeles Times
building,
the Hollywood Palladium, Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, and Boulder
Dam. The iconic tower in the middle of Westwood, called Holmby Hall,
was also designed by Kaufmann.
The interior of the main lobby reflects its Roaring ‘20s origin; it has the
look and feel of a private club rather than a modern resort. Upon entering
the main building and before reaching the registration counters, an inviting
front room beckons with an enormous gas-burning fireplace, fat leather
chairs set around a large coffee table with riveted leather covering; on
the walls are large oil paintings of the surrounding area. The wrought-iron
contraption arranged above the mantle over the fireplace is not a work of
art; it is the original gate once situated at the front drive leading up to the
resort.
The Plaza
A
nother of La Quinta’s idiosyncratic charms is its unhurried pace
and unpressured corporate attitude. For example, while the eatery
called Twenty6 serves up a full breakfast indoors and out in the central
plaza under wide and shady umbrellas, just around the corner is the Coffee
Market, a privately run eatery where one can order espresso drinks and
fresh pastry as a less expensive alternative. Other shops surrounding the
plaza include Lollipops, a colorful emporium featuring candy, fudge and all
sorts of sweet stuff, and Tumbleweeds, a kids’ shop with an unusual mix of
toys, books, stuffed animals, puzzles, and cards, and where the selection has
been chosen by an individual whose love of all things childhood oozes from
every shelf and display.
WEEKEND GETAWAY
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