Eklund Hotel

Built 1892

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2025

1. Eklund Hotel Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Kendyl K. Monroe, 6/6/2001:
The three-story Eklund Hotel has rectangular plan and a flat roof and is constructed of load-bearing stone masonry walls, with the exception of the center wall at the third

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2025

2. Eklund Hotel Marker

The marker is mounted at eye level on the right side of the lobby entrance.

floor, which is wood frame. The exterior of the building is faced with rough-cut sandstone block arranged in regular courses. The south elevation or front facade is coursed with quarry-faced stone finished with evenly spaced mortar joints. This elevation displays a symmetrical arrangement of window openings on the second and third floors. These consist of wooden one-over-one, double hung windows framed by sandstone sills and lintels. A second story porch supported by steel posts extends out to the edge of the sidewalk and is sheltered by a shed-roof canopy. The current porch is not historic but generally conforms to the historic appearance of a second story porch during the 1910s.
The first-floor displays an irregular fenestration pattern, with historic wooden windows along the east or dining side of the facade, and lava rock infill and clerestory windows along the west or saloon side of the facade. The building is topped with a metal cornice and centered pediment with the date "1905" and name "Hotel Eklund" raised across its face. Surmounting the building are two large billboard signs arranged at skew displaying in large letters the

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2025

3. Eklund Hotel (south/front elevation)

name "Eklund."
The present appearance of the hotel is the result of three distinct construction phases. The first building, erected in 1892, commanded one lot and consisted of a two-story stone commercial structure. At the second-floor level, two single, double-hung windows flank a pair of double-hung windows above which sits a large stone carved with the date, "1892," reflecting the height of the original building.
In 1898, a two-story addition was built on two adjacent lots to the east. The addition mimicked the original, with the exception of a door replacing one of the paired windows and a section of wall extending 25 feet further to the north. The 1898 section is also five feet wider on the facade, but this is not readily noticeable due to the symmetry of the two sections. A porch across the entire facade at the second-floor level was built in 1898 when the east section was added. The porch is currently made of a concrete slab with a wrought iron railing supported by metal poles and covered by a new metal awning.
A third story addition, also made of stone, was erected over the entire structure in 1905.
The Eklund Hotel was built

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2025

4. Eklund Hotel (southeast elevation)

to provide an elegant, well-appointed hotel and dining room for the small town of Clayton and the surrounding region. The need for a hotel became pressing after the arrival of the railroad in 1888. With the arrival of the Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad, Clayton became a stop for passenger trains, where passengers walked one block to the Eklund for a substantial meal or to secure overnight lodging. The hotel also provided those in and near Clayton an attractive place to stay and conduct business.
The building, with its facade of dressed sandstone crowned by a metal cornice and combined with an elegant dining room, was considered the most impressive hotel in the region and dominated the hotel market in Clayton during the period of significance. Presently, the situation is much the same, and the Eklund Hotel continues to cater to travelers arriving by automobile who come to dine at the hotel's restaurant. Additionally, the hotel plays a significant role in community interaction, and its current operation is considered central to the future of economic development in Clayton. For these reasons, the hotel is significant in the areas of

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Commerce and Architecture.
The Eklund Hotel, characteristic of the style of commercial buildings and hostelries built in the western United States during its period of railroad settlement, is significant for the role it played in providing accommodations to the railroad traveler and later the automobile tourist in Clayton. The building's architecture retains integrity with few changes made to the exterior since 1905 and is the predominant landmark of the downtown Clayton commercial area.

Excerpt:  The Eklund Hotel, also known as Hotel Eklund was built in 1892. It is an example of Early Commercial architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.