forums
new posts
donate
UER Store
events
location db
db map
search
members
faq
terms of service
privacy policy
register
login




Location DB > United States > Arkansas > Hot Springs > The Majestic
 Name
The Majestic
 Viewing Options
Log in to activate viewing options
 Database Info
created by IndoAnomaly on 3/30/2015 10:07 PM
last modified by FrostyExchange on 10/30/2016 3:00 AM
 Viewability
Publically Viewable Publically Viewable
This location has been labeled as Demolished, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
 Overview
 Description

 Basic Information
Type: Building
Status: Demolished
Accessibility: Easy
Recommendation: worth the trip
 Physical Information
Address
103 Cedar Street
Hot Springs, Arkansas
United States
Owner:
  • See a map of this location
  •  Hazards
  • asbestos
  • rust
  • unsafe flooring
  • water
  • air quality
  •  Interesting Features

     Security Measures
  • wooden boarding
  •  Historical Dates
    Built: 1882
    Closed: 2006
     Required Equipment
  • flashlight
  • gloves
  • long pants / sleeves
  • towelettes
  • water, you could spend awhile in here
  •  Recommended Equipment
    camera
     History
    The Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs (Garland County) was known as one of the most famous hotels in the South. For more than a century, the five-acre complex anchored the intersection of the main thoroughfares, Park and Central avenues, at the north end of Bathhouse Row in historic downtown Hot Springs. After numerous sales and a disastrous fire in February 2014, the fate of the Majestic property remains uncertain.

    Originally named the Avenue Hotel, the Majestic was built in 1882 on the site of the old Hiram Whittington House. The Avenue Hotel was notable for its amenities such as streetcar service to transport guests to and from the bath houses every five minutes. In 1888, the Avenue Hotel was renamed the Majestic Hotel after the Majestic Stove Company of St. Louis, Missouri, though the precise connection is unclear.

    As Hot Springs grew, so did the Majestic. In 1892, the Majestic Hotel was remodeled to include modern conveniences such as elevators, along with the addition that came to be known as the “yellow brick building.” By the turn of the century, the Majestic was known as a luxurious lodging popular with tourists as well as with the athletes who came to the spa city for spring training. In 1896, it obtained an agreement with the federal government for thermal water from the Hot Springs National Park to offer in-house therapeutic baths. When the Little Rock, Hot Springs and Western Railroad began running in 1899, the number of visitors increased dramatically. The original Avenue Hotel was razed in 1902, and a four-story domed brick building with 150 rooms was constructed. Included in this addition was the hotel’s landmark restaurant called The Dutch Treat, which had an eye-catching windmill over the front door.

    In the prosperity of the 1920s, greater numbers of average Americans could visit the Majestic Hotel. In addition, the major league baseball teams the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox stayed at the hotel for spring training and fitness programs. Part of their training included hiking four miles from the hotel to their ball field on the southern end of town. During this era, the legendary Babe Ruth frequented the Majestic. The in-house thermal baths at the Majestic also appealed to notorious 1920s underworld figures who did not have to leave the hotel for their spa therapy.

    The year 1926 saw the addition of the eight-story annex (a red brick building to the west of the yellow brick building), which later housed the Grady Manning Dining Room. Predicting continued prosperity (though interrupted by the Great Depression), Southwest Hotels Inc. purchased the Majestic in 1929. Southwest Hotels was founded and owned by native Arkansan Henry Grady Manning, who saw the hotel through the stock market crash of October 1929 as well as the Depression of the 1930s.

    In the 1940s, the U.S. Army used the Majestic to house World War II–era soldiers. On December 15, 1945, the hotel reopened to civilians. It attracted celebrities such as actor Alan Ladd, comedian Phyllis Diller, and orchestra leader Guy Lombardo. At this time, the Dutch Treat café was re-named Grady’s Grill.

    The Majestic’s parking garage across the street from the hotel sheltered the automobiles of middle-class Americans who came to visit. Air conditioning was added to the Majestic, an amenity that attracted increasing numbers of average Americans as well as celebrity guests in the 1950s. When the Budweiser brewing company’s owner, August Anheuser Busch Jr., was married at the Majestic, the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses were stabled in the Majestic’s garage.

    After Hawaii became a state in 1959, all things Hawaiian became popular. The Majestic Hotel opened the Lanai Tower in 1963, with the word “Lanai” referring to one of the Hawaiian Islands as well as to a tropical verandah. The Lanai suites were said to boast the first modern sliding-glass doors. The suites surrounded a waterfall and tropical-themed pool. With the completion of the Lanai Tower, the Majestic became an eclectic mix of architectural styles: traditional red brick, the yellow brick addition, and the tropical-themed Lanai Suites.

    As was the case with most of downtown Hot Springs, business at the Majestic steadily declined through the 1980s due to a combination of highway rerouting, medical advances that made spa bathing outdated, and the cessation of illegal gambling in the city.

    The Majestic continued to undergo renovations through the 1990s, but it was forced to close in 2006. It went through several sales and various owners who pledged to renovate the building for a number of uses, but the renovations never took place. On February 27, 2014, the yellow brick portion of the abandoned Majestic was destroyed by fire. The remainder of the hotel, in the process of being boarded up at the time of the fire, was condemned. The City of Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality ordered the owner to clean up the rubble left by the blaze, though that effort was stalled. A public auction of the property began in October 2014.

    Some groups stated that while the loss of the Majestic was tragic, it may have led to increased awareness of the historic buildings in Hot Springs, sparking an effort to save them. In May 2014, the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas named almost all of downtown Hot Springs to the 2014 list of Arkansas Endangered Places.
     Media Coverage

     Future Plans

     Stories


    Add your own story
     Photo Galleries
    Click to view gallery
    2014 Roadtrip
    Thu, Apr 2nd, 2015
    posted by IndoAnomaly
    17 pictures
    Click to view gallery
    pre dawn
    Sun, Jul 31st, 2016
    posted by fatwax4
    9 pictures
    Click to view gallery
    May 2016 last months before demolished
    Sun, Oct 30th, 2016
    posted by FrostyExchange
    10 pictures
    Click to view gallery
    What Goes Up Must Come Down
    Thu, May 25th, 2017
    posted by Dee Ashley
    9 pictures


    Add your own photos

    Mark all galleries as Seen
     Web Links
    http://www.arkansa...t/?f=news-arkansas
     Contribute

    Edit this Location
     Moderator Rating
    The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.

    Category Rating
    Photography 6 / 10
    Coolness 7 / 10
    Content Quality 5 / 10
     Validation
    This location's validation is current. It was last validated by Explorer Zero on 5/25/2017 1:35 PM.

     Latest Changes
  • on May 25 17 at 13:35, Explorer Zero validated this location
  • on May 25 17 at 6:19, Dee Ashley deleted 1 pictures from gallery What Goes Up Must Come Down
  • on May 25 17 at 6:18, Dee Ashley added some pictures to a gallery
  • on May 25 17 at 6:18, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture No idea
  • on May 25 17 at 6:17, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture No idea
  • on May 25 17 at 6:17, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture I'd be lying if I didn't give the demo area a once-over in hopes of discovering a hidden passageway or something near the rubble. :)
  • on May 25 17 at 6:16, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture lots of clues but nothing more
  • on May 25 17 at 6:16, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture majestic
  • on May 25 17 at 6:16, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture lots of clues but nothing more
  • on May 25 17 at 6:15, Dee Ashley updated gallery picture majestic
  •  Forum Threads about this Location
    New Thread
     Who's been looking?
    Click here to see who'se been looking.
     Report Problems
    Is this location inappropriate / broken / missing key info?
  • If it's something you can fix, please scroll up and click the EDIT button.
  • If this location was only posted a few days ago, give the creator time to work on it.
  • Please try sending a message directly to the creator of the location. You'll find that info at the top of this page.
  • Otherwise, ONLY if you've already tried to contact the original creator,: Click here to notify an administrator.



  • All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
    To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT
    View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield
    This page was generated for you in 62 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 736310509 pages have been generated.