← Women Designers You Should Know
Women Designers You Should Know
031. Mary E. J. Colter: Fred Harvey’s Architect and the Fate of Altadena’s Past
00:35:28
Explore the life and legacy of Mary Colter, a groundbreaking architect and interior designer who crafted iconic buildings at the Grand Canyon and beyond, blending Native American traditions with innovative architectural design, who also lost a home in a 1968 Eaton Canyon fire, which felt oddly topical.
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:01]
Amber AC
Women Designers, you should know. You should know. Women Designers, you should know. Hi friends. Welcome back to Women Designers. You should know. I'm Amber AC and I don't know about any of you, but 20, 2025 has been one hell of a year and we're only three weeks in. With yesterday's inauguration and the fire in LA that has been going on for two weeks now, I was thinking I kind of wanted to reflect a little more on the fires, especially since that's been hitting close to home as I live in LA and was displaced by the fires for a few days. And it's been so heartbreaking to see these landmarks and architectural history go up in flames. And I wanted to touch a little bit on that first. My experience with a fire was a little crazy, but not nearly as wild as some of my friends and other past colleagues that I've seen losing their homes to the fire. But this was a crazy whirlwind of events. On January 7th, my birthday, I was going around LA, kind of taking a day off, had a nice lunch in Long beach and then had dinner and I heard a little buzz about the Palisades fire. And I could see it, I could see the smoke up in the air. And then while I was having my birthday dinner with my husband and my son, I am basically clueless to the fact that all of LA is burning around me. On our way back, I heard about the Eaton Canyon fire, which is somewhat close to our home. And the rest of that night it was just non stop sirens. I kept waking up to the smell of smoke. I was turning on our air purifier even higher, making sure that it was really trying to get it. And by the morning it was about 200, 300 AQI and schools were canceled and it was just all around our house there was ashes blowing in the air. And I was like, we need to get out of here. Because even though we haven't been told to evacuate, the AQI was filling our home. And we don't have a new home, so it doesn't have the best insulation or windows. And so we packed up, we went to San Diego for a few days. But in that moment of leaving the house, I had to put the mask on because it was literally ashes all around you. You'd breathing in ashes. It was such a crazy experience how strong it smelled. It was blowing in our direction and it even peaked at 4:30 AQI as we were leaving. And I was so glad to get out of there. We grabbed our cats, which was a whole other thing. Too. Drove down to San Diego to a pet friendly hotel, stayed there for several days. I worked from there and it was really nice to get fresh air and to just get away from all of the smoke. But it's been so hard to witness everything that's been happening since and to see all of these historic homes and treasured architecture and even restaurants that we went to and coffee shops that we went to all burned down. And one of my friends, Barkev, on his Instagram Erch Motel, he's been documenting these before and after photos of Altadena's charming buildings and a bunch that were lost in the higher. So you definitely have to check those out. But it's been so hard to see even homes that I didn't even know were there. And it's like, ugh, another one lost, another character filled home that has such a rich history. It's so sad to think we can't get those back. In fact, I even have a list of these historical architectural structures that have been lost in the fires. Scripps hall, this was also Pasadena Waldorf School, this beautiful Craftsman Building. Andrew McNally's Victorian mansion, which was stunning. The Zane Gray Estate, a Mediterranean Revival style home or mansion. And then over on the Palisade Spire, the Topanga Ranch Motel along the pch, this nostalgic mid century charming little roadside motel that was also next to the Real Inn, which was Lost, which was one of my favorite fish places, and the Will Rogers Historic Estate. So it's so sad to see all of these beautiful places. And I have been researching and trying to see what other homes, what other structures have been lost in this fire as well. And after my research I discovered this isn't of course, the first time there was an Eaton Canyon fire. Turns out there was a really big one that swept through the area in 1968 and took the home of architect Mary Coulter. And that really intrigued me and I decided I really wanted to research her life, which is incredible. I don't know why I didn't know about her before. And so I'm highlighting her on today's episode. I'm doing this solo. I don't have a guest today, if you haven't guessed. And it was kind of a roundabout wait to get here from all of the LA fires and everything and then discovering Mary Coulter. But I'm so glad because her work is so incredible and her design philosophy and everything. So I'm so excited to dive into her life and her career just to talk briefly about her. She's an American architect and Interior designer whose distinct architectural style was steeped in the imagery, culture and landscape of the Southwest. She was the primary architect for the Fred Harvey Company. She's designed hotels and shops and rest areas. She also designed several buildings, buildings around the Grand Canyon. She's done so much. And she also happened to have a home in Altadena that got lost to the 1968 fire. And I wanted to touch on that as well. So without further ado, let's dive into Mary Coulter just to touch on my sources real quick for today's episode. There's a great article about her in Cowgirl Magazine. There's also a whole page, a thorough page about her life in the Pioneering women site. And then there's also a really great article about her in Legends of America. So Mary Coulter was born way back in 1869, definitely very early period for a woman to be setting out to have an interior design or architecture or even any kind of design job. And she was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Irish immigrant parents. And they moved quite a bit throughout her childhood. She was in Texas and Colorado before settling in St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of 11. And it was actually this area that had a huge influence on her childhood and the rest of her life, an outlook on life, too. There were quite a few Native Americans and reservations around her where she lived, where she grew up, especially the Sioux tribe. And she saw a lot of their artwork. She was even gifted by a family member, a series of these sketches that were done by a Native American. They were actually very colorful sketches, too, and I wish I could see what they looked like, but they had a huge influence on her, too. And then it was through her art courses when she went to St. Paul High School, that she was also exposed to a lot of new artistic developments, like the Arts and Crafts movement that was happening at the time that she would later come to embrace as well. And then after her father passed away, then it was a few years after that that her mother and her sister moved to Oakland, California, specifically so that Mary could attend the recently founded California School of Design in San Francisco. She also happened to be an apprentice during this time at a local architecture firm, which also had a major influence on the rest of her career. And so she was doing this while getting an art education. And then once she graduated in 1891, then this was when she returned home to St. Paul with her family and accepted a teaching position at a nearby art school. This wasn't just any art school. The students there were winning awards. It was very prestigious, very progressive high School, arts, high school. And it was while she was there that she was also taking on local interior design projects, especially with her experience at an architecture firm and her art schooling. And so all of this paved the way for the rest of her career. And by this time, she was about in her early 30s, teaching and designing on the side when she gets hired in 1902 by the Fred Harvey Company. And so I want to go on a little bit of a Fred Harvey tangent. So the Fred Harvey Company was responsible for revolutionizing hospitality at the time, especially along the Santa Fe Railway. His company was like a beacon of luxury travel in the Southwest, and he understood how to market it all perfectly. Like the Harvey girls, for example, which were the. The servers at the time. They had a name, they had a whole thing or a whole brand around them. This was an incredibly successful marketing campaign that tapped into the allure of the American West. And those women became stars, literally, because then there was the Harvey girls movie that was based on them starring Judy Garland several decades later. And Fred Harvey didn't just provide food and lodging. He gave travelers an experience, a taste of the Southwest through food, architecture, and crafts. So when he brought in Mary Coulter in 1902, he knew he needed more than just an interior designer. He needed someone who knew how to tell a story through the buildings that the people would step into while traveling across this sprawling country. I kind of think of this as like, somewhat of a Disneyland inspired establishment or, you know, several establishments before there was Disney. And so this was definitely ahead of its time in the late 1800s, early 1900s, that all of this was coming about, of having this full experience where everything was themed. This is where Mary Coulter comes in. So just a quick overview. She designed hotels and restaurants and gift shops, and most famously, the buildings that surround the Grand Canyon. Her work wasn't just about creating functional spaces. It was about creating an experience, a complete immersion into the Southwest. Think about the hoppy house at the Grand Canyon, if you've ever been. It was built in 1902, and it wasn't just a souvenir shop. It was designed to look like a traditional hoppy dwelling with local materials, local craftsmen, and a clear respect for Native American culture, which I love that that came about through a woman. And you could almost feel the land and the history when you walk into these spaces. In fact, I have a Grand Canyon trip planned for this year. For the first time in my life, I can't believe I've never been to the Grand Canyon. Having grown up in California, and I'm Already so excited to walk into all of these buildings that she designed. So let me rewind a little bit now that I've given you kind of a taste of Fred Harvey and Mary Coulter's role. How in the hell did she get the eye of Fred Harvey? Well, here's the kicker. It was actually through his daughter Minnie. And I wanted to focus on that story for a little bit because it's kind of groundbreaking and really one of those, like, women lifting women or reaching for women stories. But what Minnie did for Mary Coulter's life and for probably a lot of women architects after that is pretty huge. Men weren't just these big businessmen weren't just hiring architects and interior designers that were women. They were always hiring men. Like, let's be honest. And so without Minnie, we might not even be talking about Mary Coulter's story, because it was all about access, who you knew and who was willing to hire you at the time. And so Minnie Harvey Huckle was her name. She was the one who noticed Mary's design work and saw something in her. Minnie was a huge advocate for Native American art and culture as well, and she had a keen eye for design. She recognized that Mary had this unique ability to understand and translate Native American influences into architecture. So Minnie was the one who recommended Mary to her father, Fred Harvey. And that's how Mary Coulter became the chief designer for the Fred Harvey Company. In fact, I think they were a part of some similar circles at the time, too. Some scholars believe that Minnie probably met Mary at the New Century Club, which is this women's civic group that they were both supposedly members of. And this is where Mary actually lectured several times. So she lectured on topics such as the utilitarian basis of the aesthetic in 1900, and then she lectured again in 1907. And so that was, of course, after she was already working for Fred Harvey. But that first one must have really caught Minnie's eye. Minnie suggested her father hire Mary specifically for the Hotel Alvarado Indian Building in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They needed an interior designer who really understood Native American interior design and crafts and artwork and. And all of that. He agreed. And Mary started working on this initial project. And apparently Sol sold Fred Harvey after that. And they just kept bringing her back in for project after project and basically upgrading her from interior designer to architect because they valued her opinion so much. And one more thing I wanted to add about Minnie's story is they became lifelong friends. I wish I knew more about that part of their friendship and story. But apparently, of course, they knew each Other from that point on, Because Mary was working for Fred Harvey for decades into the future. So she started taking on project after project. One of her first major assignments after some of those interior design projects was to design the Hoppy House. And this was her first architectural building that she'd worked on. It was completed in 1905. And this was not just a souvenir shop. It was a living tribute to the Hoppy people and their architecture. She didn't just build a building, she told a story through design. She used local materials and sourced stone and wood from the region. She even brought in Hoppy craftsmen to work on this project with her. And it was a place where people could buy Native American goods and learn about the culture behind them. And let's not forget that when it came to making these projects feel authentic, Mary didn't just pay lip service, she lived it. She was deeply invested in Native American art. And this influence can be seen throughout her buildings. There was actually six buildings that she designed that were all around the rim of the Grand Canyon. But there were four of these buildings that were designated National Historic Landmarks. And it was the Hoppy House, like I had mentioned, Hermit's Rest, Lookout Studio and the Desert View Watchtower. And she termed these buildings in particular recreations because she thought of them as recreating these indigenous buildings that she modeled them after, even though they still were her own interpretation of them. So they weren't literal recreations, even though she coined them that. And I want to touch on each of the four that are historic landmarks, leaving the best one for last, of course. So Hermit's Rest is exactly what it sounds like. It was a resting area for tourists, especially back then for the people that were in coaches that were operated by the Fred Harvey Company as part of, I think, a larger experience or excursion that you could go on. And this building in particular has this beautiful huge fireplace inside. It's like this kind of large, domed, really cozy looking fireplace. And it is a few feet from the rim of the Grand Canyon on the west side. And it has this exposed rock formation that's meant to look like it's not a building that it's just this natural rock rock formation that's a part of the landscape. And there's a very prominent rubble stone chimney as part of the structure as well. The second one I wanted to touch on is the Lookout Studio. This one is also exactly what it sounds like. It was supposed to be a lookout area especially for photographers. And it's also a rubble stone building that's meant to look like a large pile of rocks, but this one has a little more of a stair stack appeal to it. It blends in perfectly with its surroundings, too. And there's three different lookout levels on it as well. And then lastly, the desert view watchtower. This is on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and it looks just like that. Like this historic tower that you would see in Europe or something like that. This old stone tower with small windows in it. But it was meant to create this experience or this story as if it was something that was really there from centuries before. In fact, she spent six months researching archaeological prototypes and construction techniques before building a model of the site, studying the design of the tower that was going to be using clay. And so before the final design was completed, she had this 70 foot platform built to assess the views from the proposed site. So she definitely took a lot of time and attention on this one. And Mary was responsible for selecting all of the stuff that would go inside to decorate or to do the interior design as well. But yeah, once again, another incredible building. Very thoughtfully designed, in fact. Speaking of impact, let's talk about Buffalo Bill. Yes, that Buffalo Bill. William F. Cody, the legendary showman who helped popularize the myth of the American West. When I think about Buffalo Bill, I think about. This is a very niche reference. But if anyone from Southern California knows, then maybe they'll have been here too. It's not that far from Knott's Berry Farm. I think it was called Wild Bills, and it was like a dinner and dinner and a show kind of a restaurant I saw. That's the thing. First thing that comes to mind when I think about Buffalo Bill. But Mary's design work didn't just impress architects and business people. It also caught the eye of cultural icons like Buffalo Bill. When he stayed at the El Navajo Hotel in New Mexico. He was so taken by the design that he couldn't help but comment on it. He called it a crackerjack ranch house, which is a high compliment from a man who knew a thing or two about the West. And for Buffalo Bill, the El Navajo wasn't just a place to sleep. It was a piece of the west, perfectly crafted to capture the spirit of the land. And so I love that story that she, of course, wasn't specifically trying to design for Buffalo Bill, but her work was designed for the everyday traveler, and that just happened to catch his eye. And she made the journey memorable for people like that, too. So it was much more than just a building. And I know we talked a little about a little Bit about her design philosophy already, but I want to touch on it a little more. Her designs, again, weren't just buildings. They were expressions of the land and the cultures that she wanted to honor. In fact, she designed 21 buildings for the Fred Harvey Company. And each one of these buildings reflect her deep understanding of both the natural landscape and the cultural history of the places she worked. So she wasn't just putting a blanket design on all of these 21 buildings, which I think is such a corporate thing nowadays. She took so much time and attention on each one, really researching the cultures around the area, specific influences and things that she could bring into those projects. Her architectural style was adaptable, yet multifaceted and always in tune with its surroundings. She also found ways to mix the practical with the artistic and even blending different styles together. For example, that Indian building that I touched on at the Alvarado Hotel, she created an unexpected fusion of Native American crafts and turn of the century domestic framework. And she incorporated a lively collection of exotic artifacts and mission style furniture. And so it was a clever demonstration of her arts and crafts sensibility and an approach that celebrated handmade, authentic craftsmanship, yet through an eclectic, somewhat playful lens. And I love that she celebrated culture, but she also deeply respected it, especially when it came to Native American cultures she was inspired by. It was in her projects like the Hoppy House and the Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon that I talked about, where it wasn't just with materials, it was with the very essence of history. These recreations closely followed the architectural features of the great prototypes they were inspired by. And her work was far from mere imitation. She wanted to achieve what she called stylistic verisimilitude, meaning she strived to capture the feel and authenticity of these structures without copying them directly. Wow, Mad respect for you, Mary. It is, honestly, it feels like she's so ahead of her time with all of this stuff. So in order to achieve this, what she did was she would work closely with, with indigenous builders and often demanded the use of local materials when possible. I wonder if she had to push back on so many corporate things or, I don't know, like I. I wonder if she really had to put her foot down in some of these moments. And then she also meticulously researched Native American ruins to ensure that her designs were historically accurate. And her use of these materials wasn't just for decoration. It was a way to ensure the buildings felt rooted in the land and a part of the landscape, rather than something foreign that set on top of it. So her devotion to Authenticity was so strong that, as she put it, she wanted to create designs that were inspired by, but never simply reproductions of the traditional forms. So with all that said, now we have a much bigger, better view of Mary Coulter's life and career. And that takes me to her Altadena home. As we know, she was hired by the Fred Harvey Company in 1902. By 1910, she was a full time employee at the Fred Harvey Company and she moved to Kansas City where the company's headquarters were located. And this move was related to to her responsibilities with the company. And she traveled a lot to oversee each of her projects, which was kind of a convenient thing working for a company along the railway because she traveled by train quite a bit, going from project to project, overseeing them, making sure they were being built correctly, checking in on them, all of that. And then it was in 1911 that she actually bought a small house in Altadena, California, and it was there that she also registered to vote. So that's actually how we know she had an Altadena residence because of that voter registration in 1914. So this move to Altadena was also a convenient additional home for her because it was somewhat close to the train station, Union Station in la, which was part of the Santa Fe Railway. And her sister Harriet would also move into this home with her. But for Harriet, it became a full time home, while Mary continued to divide her time between Altadena, Kansas City and all of the other Fred Harvey properties that she was involved with. And so at this time she's 42 years old, she's already an established interior designer and architect. And this home in Altadena was a little more of a refuge for her and her sister, but it was also quite community at the time, tucked in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. And so she actually lived here for quite a while. That home that she lived in was for about 20 or 25 years. So she most likely moved there around 1911. And then she continued to live there until her retirement to Santa Fe in the late 40s. The history isn't completely clear, but it might have been on Las Flores Drive, located in Altadena, which sadly was also caught in this recent 2025 fire. It's really interesting that this was where her old home that got caught in the 1968 fire was located as well. And I even thought at first, was this a home that she had built there at one point, or was this one that she purchased? And it's not that clear either. Pretty sure it was one that she purchased and wasn't part of her architectural legacy that was lost. I also love another thread to the story is that her registering to vote was really cool to learn about, but it was also. So I really wanted to understand what was going on at this time. And I guess the suffrage movement wasn't as niche as I thought it would have been. I guess it was a very widespread movement during her time and so it wasn't that unique that she'd registered to vote. But I think it still shows that she was definitely wanted to become part of that movement. And she was a single woman all of her life where we don't know much about any of her relationships or anything like that. So of course she was very motivated by her career and by having her own voice within the country too, and being part of women's rights and equality, especially being in a male dominated industry. Of course she would be interested in something like that. And on top of all of her projects that she worked on and everything, she also was quite the writer. She would write a lot about her architectural work. They were very much these technical philosophical writings that directly tied to her work. In fact, one of her notable writings is a piece titled Mary E J Colter. It was written in 1952, just a few years before her death. And this manuscript offers some of the most direct insights we have into Coulter's design philosophy and her personal reflections on her career. And in her writing, she emphasized how architecture should blend into its environment. One of her most frequently mentioned ideas was that buildings shouldn't just stand in the landscape, they should be a part of it and they should feel like they're a part of it. And I love that so much about her. And some might think that she was just appropriating Native American styles for the sake of aesthetics, but that's not true at all. Her use of indigenous motifs was deeply respectful. It was about paying homage to the people and cultures that had lived in those spaces long before her. And so what's interesting about her writing, especially in that Mary E J Colter book or manuscript, is that she didn't shy away from acknowledging the struggles she faced as a woman in a male dominated field. She was clear eyed about the challenges, but never let them define her. She wrote about how she fought to be taken seriously as an architect and how her work, despite being overshadowed by more famous male architects of the time, left a lasting impact on the American architectural landscape. So to close out her life, her amazing Legacy, by the 40s, her career had reached its zenith. She had designed 21 major hotels and facilities for the Fred Harvey Company. And her work had forever changed the architectural landscape of the American Southwest. But despite her professional successes, Mary led a relatively private personal life. And her only real companion during her later years was her sister Harriet, who continued to live in the Altadena home after Mary's death in 1958. And you'll notice she died in 1958. And this fire that I kept referencing is actually 1968. So that happened 10 years after Mary's death. I'm not really sure if Harriet was still in that home at the time or where Harriet was in this grand picture, but it's also nice to know that that home that she lived in, that she didn't experience that loss. And then after retiring in the late 40s, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she continued to live until her death. And Santa Fe is also known for its artistic community. It was the perfect place for Coulter to spend her final years. In fact, I think we even talked about New Mexico on the episode about Agnes Martin. And I think that was actually in Taos, New Mexico, but still definitely puts my mind there in that region or in that place that Agnes Martin was very inspired by as well. What's ultimately so amazing about Mary Coulter is that her buildings at the Grand Canyon continue to inspire so many people who go through that area too. And it is such a cool legacy to leave behind and such a cool thing for a woman architect to have been able to put her mark on. So just to wrap up, Mary Coulter's story is one of resilience, creativity, and a deep connection to the land she loved. She moved from state to state. She navigated the complexities of a male dominated profession. But with every project she pushed the boundaries of what it meant to design for place. And her legacy is built not just in buildings, but in the experiences she created. And they still stand today. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. It's so sad to hear about all of these historical buildings, but also the fact that people's homes and, and their personal belongings and their memories are lost too. And it warms my heart to see so many people in the community come together and donate, volunteer, help each other out. I definitely feel the like, neighborhood ness of the city. And it's so funny to think about such a big city that suddenly feels like a small town. So it definitely warms my heart to keep seeing this happening again and again. And especially everyone, all of you outside of LA who've reached out, who have helped out in one way or another. It goes so far, and I think it really helps to uplift a community like this, especially a community of. Of creatives, because that's really what we need. I'll be back again next week for another episode, but as always, until next time, let's redesign history by celebrating women.