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The Majestic Hotel: History behind the landmark

The Majestic Hotel anchored in Hot Springs downtown once stood as an icon of success and luxury. THV's Dustin Wilson joins us with a look back at the legendary building.

Majestic Hotel

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (KTHV) - The Majestic Hotel anchored in Hot Springs downtown once stood as an icon of success and luxury. THV's Dustin Wilson joins us with a look back at the legendary building.

The Majestic Hotel welcomed political leaders, gangsters and everyone in between. In the 40's the property housed troops looking to recoup from World War II. This structure's history stretches about as far as its mammoth brick walls.

Standing in downtown Hot Springs since 1902, the Majestic Hotel always drew a crowd in the height of the early 1900s. Liz Robbins remembers her High School banquet in the Majestic's ballroom that also brought in the rich and famous.

Through the years they have hosted wonderful visitors like Babe Ruth and gangsters like Bugs Moran from Chicago. He would stay with his gang in the Majestic while Al Capone would stay with his gang at the Arlington.

Robbins now works at the Garland County Historical Society and says the hotel dipped into red during mid-century when it's two primary catalysts lost their lure.

"Doctors no longer prescribed the baths to cure just about everything. There were new medical treatments. The bathing industry declined and then in 1967 gambling was ended here," said Robbins.

While other properties recovered, the Majestic changed ownership through the years and finally closed its doors in 2006.

"They had plans to rehabilitate it do this or that. Make it into apartments or condos with retail shops on the bottom, but they had difficulty with funding and it's just never happened," said Robbins.