Bathhouse Row - Present

Present

The Buckstaff, Fordyce and Administration buildings are the three buildings presently open to the public. All of the buildings on Bathhouse Row have certain architectural elements in common that contribute to the district's unity:

• All of the buildings are set back the same distance from the sidewalk, and have garden areas and green spaces in front.
• They are all of similar height, scale, and proportions.
• The sidewalk and remaining Magnolia Promenade (there is one row of magnolia trees rather than the original two) to the west and Grand Promenade to the east tie the buildings together.

What makes that unity successful in an architectural sense is the diversity that exists within it. The eclectic combination of styles and materials provides texture and visual interest amongst them. The free use of Greek, Roman, Spanish and Italian architectural idioms emphasize the high style sought after by the planners and create a strong sense of place.

What remains on Bathhouse Row are the architectural remnants of a bygone era when bathing was considered an elegant pastime for the rich and 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 Throughout the country 19th-century bathing rituals have been replaced by late-20th-century health spas that emphasize physical fitness and diet though some provide bathing as part of the regimen.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.

Bathhouse Row is the largest collection of 20th-century bathhouses remaining in the United States from the industry's peak from the 1920s through the 1940s. Bathhouse Row is also one of the few collections of historic bathhouses remaining in the United States. As an entity Bathhouse Row represents an area unique to the National Park System as an area where the natural resources historically were 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.

Pickup truck enthusiasts have enjoyed the vintage neighborhood during Saturday night cruising among the steaming manholes and free water fountains. Several nonprofit groups have helped with projects such as restoring the Fordyce and Maurice.

According to the National Historic Landmarks Program the status of Bathhouse Row is threatened as most of the historic bathhouses are vacant and are not being maintained. Some have had "damaging uses" contributing to the severe physical deterioration of the majority of the historic bathhouses. The Buckstaff Bathhouse Company has completed the majority of maintenance and renovation that has occurred without outside funding.

Bathhouse Row was added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation list of "11 Most Endangered Places" in 2003. It was removed in May 2007 because the National Park Service began to rehabilitate the buildings. The Hale, Maurice and Superior Bathhouses are being offered for lease when renovation is complete in 2008. The Museum of Contemporary Arts is likely to occupy the Ozark. A family-oriented bathhouse is planned in the Quapaw. The Park will use the Lamar for activity and administrative uses.