Bathhouse Row consists of eight bathhouses along Central Avenue, the main street of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Also included within the district are the Grand Promenade on the hillside behind the bathhouses, the formal entrance, and Stevens Balustrade, the fountains that provide the public with a taste of the waters purported at various times to heal every ailment imaginable, and the Hot Springs National Park's headquarters / visitor center. The bathhouses were constructed along the eastern edge of Hot Springs Creek, which was covered over and channeled into a masonry arch in 1884.
Bathhouse Row is the largest collection of historic twentieth century bathhouses remaining in the United States, and it represents the high point of that industry when it reached its peak from the 1920's through the 1940's. As an entity, Bathhouse Row represents an area unique to the National Park System — an area where the natural resources historically have been harnessed and used rather than preserved in their natural state. On a regional level of significance, the bathhouses also form the architectural core of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. What remains on Bathhouse Row today are the architectural remnants of a bygone era when bathing was considered an elegant pastime for the rich & famous and a path to well-being for those with various ailments. Today only the Buckstaff provides baths and related services. Throughout the country, 19th century bathing rituals have been replaced by late 20th century health spas that emphasize physical fitness & diet, and that sometimes provide bathing as part of the regimen. The bath is no longer the central feature of rejuvenation provided by spas in the United States. Advances in medicine and the high costs of medical care have diminished the importance of bathing in physical therapy. The need for bathhouses on the scale of Bathhouse Row no longer exists. The 150 year tradition of providing bathing services has evolved to near extinction and hopefully the future will hold the key for continued operation of the buildings in related industries.
Bathhouse Row (and all the subsequent bathhouses) were added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on November 13, 1974 and listed as a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987. All of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for NRHP listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/da48859c-f7aa-4d7b-8b3...
The Bathhouse Row portion of the Hot Springs National Park website can be viewed here:
www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/historyculture/bathhouse-row-today...
The photograph above is the access or entrance to the Grand Promenade located between the Maurice Bathhouse on the left and the Fordyce Bathhouse on the right. The Grand Promenade is a National Recreation Trail that runs parallel to bathhouse row, behind the bathhouses. It's about a half mile long and made entirely out of brick. The inspiration for its design came from the Prado, a pedestrian walkway in Havana, Cuba. Along with it being a great place to walk, it also offers many benches, tables, and even a table for playing chess.
www.nps.gov/places/grand-promenade.htm
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
The best way to view my photostream is through Flickriver with the following link: www.flickriver.com/photos/photojourney57/
