A black and white postcard of the Copper Queen Hotel. A sign for the Copper Queen Cafe is visible by the two men in the center, also a telegraph sign is visible to the right of the image. On the bottom left, a horse drawn buggy can be seen. The front caption on the top right reads: “Copper Queen Hotel. Bisbee, Arizona” The postcard is unused and was published by the Albertype Company, Brooklyn, New York. Nick Pavlovich Collection.

The Copper Queen Hotel Construction began in 1898 and was opened in February 21, 1902. The hotel was built by the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company as a retreat for investors and was designed by the architectural firm Van Vleck and Goldsmith from New York. It was praised for its efficient design for being the most modern hotel in the southwest.The hotel is an example of the Italianate style and among the hotel’s amenities were a buffet, ladies parlor, and barbershop; it was built with forty-four rooms and two dining rooms and the cost of $100,000 (about $3,370,000 in 2021.) Charles Rouser served as a capable manager, he had plenty of experience from previous employment at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis. His stay was brief and Tom Whitehead took over soon after, White transformed the hotel’s dining room into a round-the-clock-cafe. Management was then turned over to Charles Rouser’s son, Edward Rouser until 1906 when he and his newly wed bride were tragically killed in the April 18th earthquake in San Francisco while on their honeymoon. The original building started off with two square towers book-ending the building. In 1940, a third tower was added in the center for the installation of an elevator. Today the Copper Queen Hotel remains open and holds the record for the oldest continually operating hotel in Arizona.

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