Palace Hotel Spa Eureka Springs

Palace Hotel Room Eureka Springs

 Eureka Springs

Neon Sign Added 1940’s Eureka Springs

Palace Hotel

Early Ad Palace Hotel   Eureka Springs

Palace Hotel 1905  Eureka Springs

Early Ad Palace Hotel  Eureka Springs

Cornerstone Palace Hotel Eureka Springs

Palace Hotel Room Eureka Springs

Palace Hotel & Bathhouse-1901  Grand Opening -- 1901 1940s Neon Sign added George T. Williams bought the hotel lots for $500.00 in 1900, and built the Palace for $1,000.00, --- and then, sold the completed facility in May of 1901 for $2,500.00 -- and made a profit !  He hired Irish stonemason immigrants who besides building the PALACE, had also been hired to construct the CRESCENT and the rest of the limestone structures including the hundreds of miles of retaining walls seen throughout Eureka Springs. The limestone was quarried just a few miles from town.  The Palace Hotel construction employed high standards with window and door frames built and set into the stone. The support timbers in the basement are solid oak, 18" by 18", some as long as 25 feet.  Williams had a vision of a European castle when he designed the Palace exterior. Early advertising touted,  "each of our luxurious rooms has its own steam heat and a new electric light bulb." The Bath House facilities offer "Steam" and "Turkish Baths" for 50¢ and $1.00 respectively. Each bath stall has a numbered electric button (at the head of the tub) connecting to a control board (near the entry) that is visible to the staff. When pushed, the button rang a bell and tripped a brass arrow on the control board. The bath attendant brought soap, toiletries, towels, or whatever, the patron required. There were only two "W.C.'s" (water closets) on each floor. Spring water from "Harding Spring" was piped under the street, about 200 feet into a cistern in the basement. It was then heated and pumped into two (hot and cold) steel vessels mounted on steel beams between the rear wings of the building. The tanks were 2 feet above Bath House floor level so that both water pressure and gravity move the water flow to the baths. One of the first electric elevators in the City had a double door, manually operated, "wire cage elevator." 1904 Advertisement  Palace Bath House was built in 1900 and opened in 1901 with 16 rooms. Guest amenities include the Palace Cafe, Palace Laundry, and barbershop.   March 2, 1905  Palace Bath House changed hands to new owner J.A. Reed who traded over 12,000 acres of Texas land to former owner W.J. Riggs.  Advertisement at right shows one of the original bath tub suites. 1907 Advertisements below: Mar 18, 1908 -- Advertisement  Palace Bath House: Located on Spring Street, near Harding Spring. Two-story, stone; steam heat, electric lights, bath and elevator. Rates, $1.50 to $2.00 per day -- by week, $8.00 to $10.00. – Frank L Williams, Mgr Nov 16, 1908 Daily Times- Echo -- (Note: evidently the 1905 exchange was not completed)  The Palace Bath House was swapped to new owner J.A. Reed in exchange for Texas acreage taken over by previous owner W.J. Rigg. 1928 -- Bathe To Your Health  In 1928, Ingall's promoted his lodging properties in a 16 page Booklet that appealed to tourists to Eureka Springs. Some pages are shown here. Albert Ingalls as well as his partner, Claude Fuller, served as Eureka Springs mayors in demonstrating their passions to increase the city's growth and economic well-being.  The Albert Ingalls' Interests: Palace Bath House Crescent Hotel Ingalls' Apartments -- Eureka Springs, Ark. The Booklet describes the following:  "Here in Eureka Springs, right in the very heart of things and close to hospitals and hotels, is the PALACE BATH HOUSE, now America's Medicine Tepee, the popular place to bathe in the health-giving waters of the magic springs. This bath house is unique, even in its modernity. When one enters it, he is immediately impressed with the "homeyness" of it all. Here in this comfortable "home" one finds people with whom to talk, sympathetic in each other's ailments, nearly all on the same successful quest of health. The lobby itself and the two adjoining parlors of comfort breathe forth a spirit of hospitality and friendliness and comfort that the health-seeker needs. "The waters are heated then cooled to the proper temperature for the individual bather's requirements. Massage and various hydropathic treatments are also given. "Here, one is able to bathe away his ailments or aflictions as the Indians did of yore, but in as convenient, comfortable and scientific a manner as the present age permits. "The course, of baths number 12 or 24, and is furnished, with attendant. "The range in price is from $10.00 to $30.00."  "Eureka baths have a most effective application, as many cures testify, although other remedies should be used by the advice of competent physicians, including the removal of sources of infection. "Indeed, there is practically no chronic ailment in which the Eureka water treatment is not found highly effective, usually more so than any other treatment, and often after all other ordinary remedies have failed." 1930 -- Cora Pinkley-Call reporting ---  Albert G. Ingalls, mayor. He has been called "the seer of the Ozarks."  He owns the Crescent hotel which is used as a preparatory college for girls nine months in the year. He also owns the Basin Park hotel, one of the finest in the state, the Palace Bath House and Eureka Floral Shop. He has leased the Times-Echo and Flashlight.  Today 1930 he owns more property in Eureka Springs than any other man and has done much to increase its civic beauty. He bought many rundown buildings and tore them away or made them into modern attractive homes.  She reported that the Palace Hotel and Bath House was managed by O. R. Renfroe. 1940s -- Sign of the Times  Like many hotels of an early era, the PALACE was a bordello. The famous neon sign hanging over the outside front entrance was the first neon sign installed west of the Mississippi River; (purportedly built by the French inventor of neon, Mr. Georges and shipped from France to America, then by rail to E.S. and then by truck to the Palace Hotel.) The neon sign was later painted by the popular sign painter of the area, GOLLY - all of Ernie Schilling's work was signed "By GOLLY." The sign can usually be found "lighted' during the early evening hours and on cloudy days. In 2005, Tim Adams, manager of The Palace, the hotel and bath house with the sign that just keeps on giving, recalled a Valentine's Day when he and the staff noticed white stuff that wasn't snow accumulating in a tree just out the east side of the lobby. "We kept looking," said Adams, "and wondering." Finally, we went up and checked rooms. A couple had brought their own special bubble bath and had used way too much. They were pushing big loads of bubbles out a window that was a long way from the tub." 1950 promotion The PALACE has been a Hotel & Bath House since 1901, with only a few intermittent periods of vacancy due to wars and economic calamity. It was during the close of Prohibition that local folklore says (former lady of the evening) "Rosemary" the PALACE Ghost began to appear, after meeting her demise "in the throws of passion."  Eureka Springs drew travelers from both coasts and Europe. In the early 20's, mobsters were often seen here. Restorations  Real restoration began in the early 70's. Extensive restoration in '82 and '83 was conducted by previous owners. New owners purchased it in '87. Over $500,000 has gone into renovation since then. It's still ongoing with thousands of dollars in improvements and maintenance each year. The Palace Hotel and Bath House is a National Historic Register Property, restored with extra attention to detail. 1979  Mark Avery Palace Hotel & Bathhouse owner The hotel hosted famed celebrities such as W.C. Fields and C.W. Wrigley. Can you just see W.C. Fields sitting in that wooden steam cabinet, a stogie in his mouth, a bulbous red nose? Times Echo – Thurs, May 30, 1991  The bathhouse is on the lower floor and upper floors house large guest suites. “Original claw foot tubs and steam cabinets are still in place,” stated Manager Paul Wright in 1991. Interim Period Owner was Charles Littlejohn April 22, 2002  Steve & Francie Miller acquired the Palace and continued a maintenance program. The Palace Hotel and Bath House is an elegant little hotel located in the downtown historic district of Eureka Springs. Preserving Eureka Springs' heritage as "America's Medicine Teepee," the alias this Arkansas town was dubbed during the Victorian era, the Palace Hotel is a National Historic Register Property. Thousands of travelers in the late 1800's and early 1900's used to come from around the world to the Palace Hotel and Bath House, which became widely acclaimed as the "best-equipped bath house in the state." As a guest, you may enjoy the soothing bliss of a mineral bath in original clawfoot tubs and enjoy a Eucalyptus steam in the same wood-barrel steamer used by world travelers at the turn of the century. This elegant, European-style hotel has eight suites, all of which contain a king-size bed, a double-size water jet spa tub, wet bar, refrigerator, and cable television. In-room refrigerators are stocked with a welcome treat and soft drinks, and the rooms are all lushly decorated with Victorian antiques, in keeping with the building's history. While staying at the Palace Hotel, you'll enjoy turn-down service in the evening and a luscious continental breakfast served to your suite each morning.