Just a short 60-mile drive west of Ft.Worth on US Hwy 180, is the tiny town of Mineral Wells (pop. 8000).
There stands what must be the largest structure of any kind in a city that small.
The Baker was built by hotel magnate T. B. Baker.
He already owned the Baker in Dallas and the Saint Anthony in San Antonio.
The Baker was modeled after the Arlington Hotel which still operates in Hot Springs, Arkansas - also built by Wyatt Hendrick.
The Baker opened it's doors just two weeks after the stock market crash of 1929.
It filed for bankruptcy in 1932, but new owners kept the building open.
It served as military dependent quarters from 1941 to 1944 and remained open until 1963.
It reopened briefly from 1965-1972 but the doors have been shut since then.
Historical Source: TexasEscapes.com>
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