Casa del Desierto, better known today as the Barstow Harvey House, is available to production companies for appropriate filming projects. The Harvey House was designated as a historical landmark in 1976 and has been owned by the city of Barstow since 1990.
Harvey House was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway as a train station and hotel in 1911. Currently, two museums, the chamber of commerce, several businesses and city offices utilize part of the property.
The large downstairs rooms remain vacant, one of which has been refurbished completely including the location and reinstallation of its original lighting fixtures. Although it predates the period, the rooms have an art deco feel to them.
The building has a vacant, rather eerie old basement area perfect for filming scenes for a thriller. Parts of the interior of the building have been remodeled to look quite modern, including a board room and office areas. Others rooms have been restored true to the period in which they were buit.
The architecture of the Harvey House is described as a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance and Classical Revival architecture styles. It was designed by architect Mary Colter for Fred Harvey Companies.
A railroad museum and a Route 66 museum are housed in separate buildings on the western side. Several rail cars and engines are also on display on the property.
Late last year the city of Barstow renewed its interest in attracting film projects to the area. It launched its website, FilmBarstow.com, along with a Facebook page and Pinterest account. The film office tweets can be found at @FilmBarstow.
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