When Baker City reigned as the “Queen City of the Inland Empire,” the Geiser Grand Hotel was a jewel in her crown. Built in 1889, the hotel soon earned a reputation for offering the finest accommodations between Seattle and Salt Lake City. Travelers enjoyed such then-rare amenities as plate glass windows, electric lights and bells, baths and an elevator. The lobby and rotunda were embellished with intricately carved mahogany. The rotunda extended up two stories to a balcony and a skylight. The dining room, which could seat 200 people, offered feasts of black bear, roast Oregon goose and fresh Maine lobsters. After years of decline, a complete restoration of the Geiser Grand began in 1994.