OVER 90 YEARS OF HISTORY
1912 was the year Arizona
traded in its territorial status
to become the 48th state. It
was the year Dr. Alexander
J. Chandler founded the
small town southeast of
Phoenix that bears his name.
It was also the year that Dr.
Chandler began building his
dream... an oasis in the desert,
a resort that would tempt the
rich and famous from all over the world to return to Chandler, Arizona, year after year.
He named the resort San Marcos after Friar Marcos DeNiza, who is said to have visited the Chandler area in
1539 while searching for the mythical "Seven Cities of Cibola."
When the San Marcos opened in 1913, it was the first Arizona resort to boast a full complement of resort
amenities: golf, tennis, horseback riding, polo. And for the more genteel, there were afternoon teas, bridge,
shopping and social gatherings that grew into an international Who's Who.
The original San Marcos Resort was owned and constructed in 1912 by Dr. Alexander J. Chandler, as part of a
master design to create a totally planned community.
The resort was designed by Arthur Burnett Benton. Benton, an architect from Southern California, was an
authority on California mission design. As a result, the San Marcos remains the best example in Arizona of a
completely integrated Mission Revival design.
The renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, was a close friend of Dr. A. J. Chandler. Even though the 1912
Mission Revival architecture was the work of Benton, Wright spent considerable time at the construction site
with Dr. Chandler overseeing the project. In fact, Dr. Chandler and Wright drew up plans for an even more
modern San Marcos in the Desert to be built in 1930 at the base of Phoenix's South Mountain. But because of
the financial hardships caused by the Depression, the dream was never realized.
One of the design accents that became an identifying feature of the resort was the construction of pergolas
which framed almost the entire building. Composed of Tuscan columns and heavy timber trellises covered
with vines, the pergolas formed a shady passageway through which guests could stroll.
Five hundred people, including Thomas Marshall, then vice president of the United States, Arizona Governor
George W.P. Hunt and Congressman Carl Hayden, attended the grand opening on November 22, 1913. At that
time, the facility offered 35 guest rooms, a lobby, dining room, ballroom, retail shops and administrative offices.
Grace Perley Robinson was hired to manage the resort and her husband, Will H. Robinson, became the grounds
manager. With Harry Collis, Robinson designed and built the 100-acre golf course in 1913. A year later, the
course was seeded with bermuda grass, making it the first grass links in Arizona. Collis and William Watson of
Los Angeles, designed a new course with a sprinkler system in 1928.
RENOVATIONS, EXPANSIONS AND OWNERSHIP CHANGES
In 1916, eight bungalows designed by leading California architect Reginald D. Johnson, were added west of the
original building. A surrounding park area featuring sunken gardens, walks, a pool and playfield, was designed
by Paul Thiene, the designer of the San Diego Exposition grounds.
More changes occurred in 1924. The San Marcos hired architect Myron Hunt, a master of Spanish Colonial
Revival design who designed Pasadena's Rose Bowl, to add 16 bungalows and extend the dining room to form a
second-story terrace. Hunt also extended the office wing and enlarged the lobby by eliminating some of the
retail space in what was called the San Marcos Arcade.
In the 1930's, additional bungalows were added as well as a small dining room and writing room on the second
floor. Paint colors ranged from white on the exterior to "cheerful" blue inside to offset the dark wood Mission
look. Also, in 1932, Harold W. Easton became the new manager after Grace Robinson retired. At that time,
newspaper reports stated that the hotel could accommodate 225 guests.
Robert Foehl became the hotel's manager in 1936 and purchased it from Dr. Chandler for $1 million in 1937.
Dr. Chandler remained as president of the San Marcos Hotel Corporation for many years after the sale.
In 1943, John Quarty became manager and in 1945, E. W. Edwards of Cincinnati, one of the largest private art
collectors in the country, became the new owner. During the period of his ownership, Edwards exhibited his
collections in the resort.
However, the most extensive improvements in the resort’s history took place in 1954, its 43rd season. All baths
were tiled and equipped with a tub and a shower. Remaining pergolas were torn down and replaced with
wrought iron grillwork for a more modern Spanish appearance. The lobby, dining room and cocktail lounge
also were remodeled and the guest rooms extended to accommodate 300.
In 1986, the restoration of the original building and the construction of 250 new rooms began and the property
reopened in 1987.
THE SAN MARCOS WHO'S WHO
The Crowne Plaza San Marcos Resort was a luxurious desert retreat and playground for the rich and famous.
Socialites, heads of industry, debutantes, entertainers, athletes, writers and artists from all over the world
congregated between December and April to soak up the sun and enjoy golf, tennis, horseback riding,
swimming, teas, movies and other amenities offered by the resort.
Some of the Hollywood stars who are known to have stayed at the San Marcos include:
• Rex Allen
• Fred Astaire
• Joan Crawford
• Bing Crosby
• Errol Flynn
• Clark Gable
Other notables:
• Fritz Werner, internationally-known portrait artist
• John Masefield, poet laureate of England
• Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Commissioner of Baseball
• Frank 0. Lowden, governor of Illinois who announced his U.S.
presidential candidacy at the San Marcos in 1928.
• President Herbert Hoover & Family
• Mitzi Gaynor
• George Gobel
• William Powell
• Jimmy Stewart
• Gloria Swanson
• Cher
• Mrs. Adolph Coors III
• British author John Galsworthy
• Margaret Sanger
• Christian Dior
• Mrs. August Uihlein Pabst
CROWNE PLAZA SAN MARCOS GOLF RESORT
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