Pythian Bathhouse & Hotel, 415 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs, Garland County, AR

For related bathhouses on Bathhouse Row, see HABS No. AR-28 through AR-28-I. See also HABS No. AR-34-A through AR-34-C for related information.

Significance: The original Pythian Hotel and Bathhouse was built in 1914 by the Knights of Pythias as the only black bathing facility in Hot Springs. It was designed by W.T. Bailey of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and built on the site of the Crystal Bathhouse, which burned in 1913. Until then, the Crystal Bathhouse had been the only such local establishment catering to "colored" people. In 1923 the Pythian Hotel was enlarged and renovated by architect D. McDaniel of Hot Springs into what remains substantially its present form.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-9

Survey number: HABS AR-29

Building/structure dates: 1914 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1923 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1945 Subsequent Work

bathhouses hotels concrete buildings bathing travel african americans building deterioration hot springs ark pythian bathhouse pythian bathhouse hotel malvern malvern avenue hot springs hot springs garland garland county arkansas images black history month black history month history of arkansas arkansas free images j scott anderson arkansas historic preservation program w t bailey jack e boucher paul d dolinsky historic american buildings survey leonard kliwinski knights of pythian gregory mccall brian mccormick d mcdaniel michael peters daniel wininsky photo ultra high resolution high resolution architecture united states history library of congress

1914 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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