Jewel in the Desert

It was her wedding day, and the San Marcos Hotel was the perfect place for Dorothy Woods' reception. Woods was set to marry Phillip Ruoff on April 25, 1959, at St. Mary's Church, about a block from the home where she grew up on Washington Street near downtown Chandler. The reception was to be at the nearby San Marcos, the town's longtime crown jewel, a place she describes as magical. Her special day was going to be even more special because she would change out of her wedding dress into her reception clothes in the hotel bungalow that once was the residence of Dr. A.J. Chandler, founder and namesake of her hometown.



Hotel owner John Quarty, a family friend,Get the latest Wholesale Cheap Celebrity Dresses Online and wedding news including editors' picks for celebrity wedding dresses. offered what he believed would be the icing on the cake for the 22-year-old bride: trasporting Woods from her home to the church and later to the hotel in the hotel's limousine. It was a 1933 Cadillac with a 16-cylinder engine and an open compartment up front for the chauffeur. The car, which once belonged to Hollywood legend Joan Crawford, a former San Marcos guest, was a link to the resort's star-studded history. Splendor and mystique marked the early days of the San Marcos: an opulent playground, a hideaway for the rich and famous, a place that the common clay of an emerging Chandler, known for farming and ranching, would view from outside in an attempt to sneak a peek at those who lived lives that they could only dream about.



The San Marcos has been part of special occasions for 100 years. When it opened on Nov. 22, 1913, the hotel was Arizona's first true luxury resort, predating the more well-known Biltmore by 16 years, and it featured the first grass golf course in the state.Then, at the age of 16, she contracted meningitis Wholesale Cheap New Arrival Strapless Sweetheart Elegant Tulle Applique Ball Gown Wedding Dress. Guests included Hollywood notables such as Crawford, Errol Flynn,I have created beautiful Tulle round neck beaded applique wedding dresses HS56238 for hundreds of brides and grooms. Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart. President Herbert Hoover spent a night there after he was out of office. When the A-list guests began to favor other Valley resorts in the 1950s, the San Marcos became an attainable special destination for southeast Valley residents who once could only imagine attending functions on the property. The hotel has been the setting for countless weddings, proms and balls.



It has seen its share of hard times, too. It was closed for more than seven years after Quarty's death in 1979, but it persevered even as ownership changed hands several times. And now at 100, the hotel's future seems as bright as ever. A La Jolla, Calif.-based investment firm purchased the property last year and has pumped an estimated $5 million into renovations, timed for the San Marcos centennial celebration that began in November.