Out of the Vapors: A Social and Architectural History of Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

摘要

This special study was designed to answer specific historical and architectural questions posed by the staff of Hot Springs National Park and the Southwest Region. These questions formed the basis for this document. Additional material was used to place the study in an appropriate historical context. The first chapter is an effort to place the spa development at Hot Springs National Park in a broader context by giving an abbreviated general world history of spas with special emphasis on spa development in the United States. The second chapter presents a general history of the hot springs from prehistoric times to the present with special emphasis on the rise and decline of bathhouse row. The next several chapters are in-depth discussions of a series of topics related to the bathing industry at Hot Springs National Park. The topics discussed include the construction history of the thermal water distribution system and creek arch; bathing routines over the centuries; e bathing as part of prescribed medical treatment for the cure of diseases; the financial aspects of the bathing industry; the treatment of the poor by private enterprise and the government; the treatment of minorities by private enterprise and the government; development of transportation to the hot springs; legal and illegal promotional activities of the hot springs and their medical benefits; criminal activity that took place around the hot springs; fires and floods in the community surrounding the hot springs; the social and recreational activities at the hot springs; scientific investigations of the hot springs; the architecture of the bathhouses; and biographies of the bathhouse designers. These topics provide the framework for discussion of the myriad of human activities and uses of the thermal water at Hot Springs National Park.