In the late 1800s, the town of Eureka Springs, AR, underwent tremendous growth as travelers flocked to local springs for their healing benefits. With the population rapidly booming, buildings and homes were built closely together in a stair-step fashion β the most efficient way to build high-density housing along steep streets. Examples of everything from Queen Anne homes to flatiron buildings found their way into Eureka Springs architecture. And, miraculously, many remain intact.
Today, Eureka Springs is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is considered the most extensive collection of Victorian architecture in the central United States. For Victorian architecture enthusiasts, this is a destination to have on your radar. Here’s what you need to know before you visit!
The town began as temporary tents.
The impressive architecture that now brings in tourists from around the country didn’t exist on day one of Eureka Springs. Initially, the town flourished with temporary tents and swiftly built wooden structures by those looking to spend time near the springs. It took a major investment to prompt the development resulting in the now-famous architecture.
Jeff Danos of the Eureka Springs Historical Museum explains, “Eureka Springs was essentially a ‘wild west’ boomtown, with little law and order. But by 1883, a group of businessmen who had organized as the ‘Eureka Improvement Company’ managed to extend a railroad spur into town from Seligman, MO.”
In 1886, the Crescent Hotel was built. This grand example of Victorian architecture led the way for the rest of the town. Along with updated building codes following several destructive fires, pressure from the town to build in stone and brick rather than wood began to move Eureka Springs towards its future architectural heritage. Early neighborhoods to adopt Victorian architecture include “The Boulevard,” with its iconic gingerbread homes.
You’ll see multiple styles of Victorian architecture.
When people refer to Victorian architecture, they’re referencing the era rather than a specific style. Victorian architecture has multiple styles, including the Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Eastlake. All of these are seen in Eureka Springs, along with an eclectic mix of other styles thrown in.
You’ll see Tudor or Craftsman details appearing on Queen Anne homes. Native limestone from a nearby quarry was added throughout the town on prominent buildings and retaining walls. It was an anything-goes approach, and it’s an educational boot camp for anyone looking to brush up on their knowledge of architecture of the time.
“Like an Ozark ‘crazy quilt,’ one of the unique features of many of these homes was the builderβs tendency to combine multiple styles into a single structure,” says Jeff.
Stair-step architecture is seen throughout the town.
Stair-step architecture is seen in particularly hilly cities where you have to navigate the steep terrain, and Eureka Springs is one of the best examples nationwide. “We have buildings that appear to be one story high from the street, yet three or four stories tall from the rear. The eight-story Basin Park Hotel, for example, backs to a rock bluff with an exit on each floor β or as Ripleyβs once proclaimed, ‘Every floor a ground floor,'” says Jeff.
Narrow, serpentine roads guide current visitors through the winding streets. You can get lost wandering through the small city, but make sure you find your way to the springs, which are located throughout the town.
“Many of the homes hug the sidewalks and donβt allow for the modern straightening or widening of our streets. The more intimate scale of pre-automobile urban planning is still felt here and adds to the overall charm,” explains Jeff.
The Great Depression played a part in the town’s preservation.
The Great Depression was a trying time in our country’s history, but the lack of resources during that period enabled Eureka Springs’s preservation. “Eurekaβs population plummeted as the tourist economy suffered in the 1920s, and many homes were abandoned. Although some of our buildings in the 1930s and 1940s were disassembled for their raw materials, many of the fine Victorian homes we showcase today were largely ignored in the 1950s and 1960s,” explains Jeff.
That means that while other cities were razing high-maintenance Victorian buildings and encouraging significant development and urban renewal post-World War II, Eureka Springs remained untouched.
Luckily, the buildings didn’t stay abandoned long enough to fall into disrepair. A new playhouse and the Beaver Lake and Table Rock Lake dams brought new travelers to the area. Eureka Springs became a destination for artists, writers, and musicians, and these free-spirited new residents brought the skills to restore historic homes and buildings. By 1970, the Eureka Springs Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The public architecture is as impressive as the residences.
Private homes are often the most sought-after examples of Victorian architecture, but Eureka Springs also has impressive examples of public architecture. The Crescent Hotel and Palace Hotel & Bath House are two examples of contrasting yet similar Victorian architecture.
The Crescent Hotel is a soaring, grand example of Richardsonian Romanesque revival. The Palace Hotel & Bath House is similar, possessing the signature stone facade but on a much smaller, more colloquial scale.
“The Calif Building is a fine example of ‘High Victorian’ limestone architecture with a pressed copper Mansard roof, corner quoins, and gingerbread porch,” says Jeff. He points out that the Western District courthouse building on Main Street features bold Italianate details, while the public library has a Neoclassical influence, and Penn Castle is a merging of Eastlake and Gothic styles.
You can walk, trolley, or tram!
While walking gives you the best feel for the town’s architecture, you can also take an open-air tram tour, which offers the bonus of a guided history lesson. There are also all-day passes on the trolley system if you want a quick way to get from one end of the town to the next.
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Ready to plan your trip to Eureka Springs? Check out these other small towns in Arkansas, and make it a road trip!
