What Is the Army and Navy Hospital?
This was the first general hospital in the USA to treat members of both the Army and the Navy!
What Makes It Historical?
With Bathhouse Row now firmly in the possession of the US Government, ideas for how to use the land started flowing like Hot Spring Creek! In 1882, at the Palace Bathhouse (no longer standing), Senator John Logan of Illinois proposed a military hospital at the hot springs and introduced the legislation to make it so! While it was the only such hospital to be built during peace time, it nearly came with a shootout! Samuel Hamblen, superintendent of Hot Springs Reservation, protested the hospital’s diversion of hot spring water from the bathhouses, and as he and his crew attempted to sabotage the water diversion, Captain J.W. Jacobs warned them off with a double-barreled shotgun! The first hospital opened on schedule in January of 1887, to be overseen by Secretary of War, William Endicott!
After World War I, the 30 beds here just weren’t enough, so the first building was razed and replaced by this 7-story fireproof tower, capable of treating 500 patients at a time. That was big enough in the years leading up to World War II, but during the war, so many patients streamed in here that the government bought the nearby Eastman Hotel and later occupied the Arlington and Majestic Hotels too! With cutting-edge technology like X-rays and a temperature controlled morgue, this was not only one of the finest hospitals for its time, but also a great place to train in lab research, X-ray technology, pharmacy science, and surgery! In 1960, the federal government sold the building to the state of Arkansas for $1 to become a rehabilitation center, then a career training center in the 2000s, and since 2019 is awaiting its next identity!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of Preserve Arkansas!
- Donate to Preserve Arkansas!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
105 Reserve St
Hot Springs, AR 71901
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The building is currently closed, but you can enjoy the architecture from the street!