Fordyce Bathhouse was restored and reopened in 1989 as the Hot Springs National Park visitor center and a historically furnished museum. The visitor center is open from 9 AM to 5 PM seven days a week except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. You can tour the building, look at exhibits and enjoy movies about the park.
[Please check with the park about whether it is open during the Government Shutdown]
The Fordyce Bathhouse operated from 1915 to 1962 and was considered one of the best bathhouses in Hot Springs. It was the largest on Bathhouse Row with three main floors, courtyards and a basement – totaling approximately 28,000 feet.
Fordyce Bathhouse was owned by Samuel Fordyce, a businessman and railroad tycoon that moved his famyly to the Hot Springs area in 1876. He promoted the area and invested heavily in several local hotels, the city opera house, the local country club, the railway system, and all municipal utility systems.
Fordyce was originally born in Ohio and was one of ten children of John Fordyce and Mary Ann Houseman. He attended Madison College in Uniontown, PA and later at North Illinois University. After serving in the Civil War, he opened a banking house and helped finance the North & South Alabama Railway. He helped build a network of railroads, including the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company which he operated for sixteen years.
Fordyce Bathhouse was built by Sam’s son John and was designed by Mann and Stern, Little Rock architects. The first floor has a marble lobby and the Men’s Bath Hall. The second floor contained the dressing rooms and men’s massage rooms. The third floor has the music room, a Gymnasium and state rooms. The Fordyce Spring is on display in the bathhouse, and the Fordyce also at one time had a bowling alley.
Fordyce is one of the eight bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. It is located between Maurice Bathhouse and Quapaw Bathhouse.
