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