The Baker Hotel opened in Mineral Wells, TX in 1927 in response to the growing popularity of the town’s mineral water. It became an iconic destination for travelers, with the likes of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Bonnie and Clyde, and various other notables visiting. Earl Baker closed the hotel in 1972, on his 70th birthday, and it has been abandoned ever since. There have been attempts to re-open the hotel to revive what has since become a dying town, however, none of them have prevailed. My design class has had the opportunity to visit the hotel twice now, as it is the site of our senior project. The 13 of us are all designing our projects with the goal of ‘reviving’ the Baker Hotel, and subsequently the town of Mineral Wells, TX. Although our projects won’t be implemented, there is currently a grassroots  campaign to revive the Baker. To learn more about it, visit http://bakerhotelmovie.com/