The Pavilion - A Magical Place

The Pavilion - A Magical Place. Village of Cloudcroft. The original Pavilion is seen behind a tree house, band stand (now both pavement) and many happy visitors. Built during the summer of 1899, it was to primarily serve as the dining hall and kitchen for the Lodge, but also contained guest and meeting rooms as well as a dance hall - all with electric lighting. The cold rains of late summer doused the desires of hotel guests to brave the elements to dine, and a full kitchen and dining hall were added to the Lodge in June 1907. The dining area of the Pavilion was converted to a cafe. The depot was just behind and downhill from the Pavilion's manicured back yard connected by a wide stairway. A band in the bandstand would typically play to greet each train as it arrived., The Pavilion was destroyed by a suspected arson fire in August 1919, rebuilt incorporating the functions of the Casino, and then burned again in August 1922 - café fixtures, bowling alley, radio, piano and movie theater all lost with the building., The present structure was built and furnished in the Spring of 1923 by the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad for $17,067.08. The bowling alley served the community into the 1970s and is now a meeting room., Early photo of the third Pavilion, ca 1925, which still exists today with guest rooms and meeting rooms., The Lodge Resort and Spa Cloudcroft, NM - This sign was created and is actively maintained by volunteers from the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails Association - 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization partnership with the Village of Cloudcraft. For more information or to find out how you can help us maintain these important paths through nature and please contact us at nmrailstotrails.org or find us on Facebook at /NMRailstoTrails