Bathhouse Row

The eight buildings of Bathhouse Row make up the centerpiece of Hot Springs National Park. They were built between 1892 to 1923, and, along with the area along the Grand Promenade, became a National Historic Landmark District in 1987. The first bathhouses to occupy these sites were made of canvas and lumber, not much more than tents perched over the individual springs. Tents were soon replaced by wooden structures, which frequently burned or collapsed because of poor construction or exposure to water and steam. In 1884, the federal government put Hot Springs Creek into a channel and built a road above it. Much of the creek runs under Bathhouse Row, and harnessing the waterway into a channel made construction of the sidewalks and landscaping we see today possible. The bathhouses themselves run the gamut of turn-of-the-century styles, from neoclassical to Spanish and Italianate designs. Many feature formal entrances, outdoor fountains, promenades, and other landscape features. The bathhouse industry fell into decline in the mid-20th century, and the buildings began to close. All but one, the Maurice, is now open to visitors at Hot Springs. The Lamar holds the park store; the Buckstaff and Quapaw are functioning bathhouses; the Ozark is home to an art museum; the Hale has a small cultural center; and there's a brewery in the Superior bathhouse.