NPS Photo/Mitch Smith Arlington Lawn gets its name from the fact that the first two versions of the luxury hotel now located north of the park across Fountain Street were located here on government property. The first, a 150-room wooden structure completed in 1875, was designed specifically to offer patrons the most modern, first-class accommodations possible, the same as they would expect in New York or Chicago. It was replaced in 1893 by a larger, more elaborate brick, stone, and iron version. The grand hotel was of Moorish and Spanish Renaissance style and featured a glass-topped rotunda, large ballroom, and bridges onto Hot Springs Mountain from several floors. It offered 300 guest rooms, 50 of which had private bathrooms. The 2nd Arlington burned in 1923 and was replaced in 1925 by the iconic 500-room Arlington Hotel still in use today. |
Last updated: August 18, 2020