Massey Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Massey Hotel
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 Location in Arkansas
Location in the United States
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| Location | 125 W Central Ave (AR 72), Bentonville, Arkansas |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architectural style | Second Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000574 |
| Added to NRHP | December 1, 1978 |
The Massey Hotel (also known as the Town House Hotel) is an old hotel building in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was built in 1910 and has a special look called Renaissance Revival architecture. Before the Massey Hotel, another hotel called the Eagle Hotel stood on the same spot since 1840. Over the years, many different shops and businesses have been on the first floor. The building even housed the Bentonville Public Library two different times! Because of its important history and its unique architectural style (which is rare in Arkansas and the Ozarks region), the Massey Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
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Where is the Massey Hotel?
The Massey Hotel is located in Downtown Bentonville, right where Central Avenue (Highway 72) and A Street meet. This spot was once a very busy intersection. It was where US Highway 71, Highway 72, and Highway 100 all came together.
Because US 71 was a major road, many travelers could easily reach the hotel. Later, US 71 was moved to go around downtown. The road in front of the hotel became US 71B, but that route has also changed. Even without the main highway traffic, Downtown Bentonville has become a popular place. This is especially true since the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened nearby.
A Look at the Hotel's Past
The Massey Hotel was built on the site of an even older hotel called the Eagle Hotel. The Eagle Hotel had been there since 1840. It was also an important building in history. For example, during the Civil War, Union general Franz Sigel stayed there before the Battle of Pea Ridge.
However, by the early 1900s, the Eagle Hotel was in bad shape. It was torn down in 1908 to make way for the new Massey Hotel.
Building the Hotel and Its Grand Opening
Construction on the Massey Hotel started in February 1909. The grand opening was a big event held on June 28, 1910. About 240 guests attended the celebration. They were welcomed by an orchestra, followed by a reception and an open house.
In November 1918, Bentonville's very first public library opened in one of the hotel's rooms. This library later closed because it didn't have enough money. Still, many other shops and businesses were located on the first floor of the Hotel Massey. This included the ticket office for the train that went to Rogers.
New Life for the Massey Hotel
In 1975, a fire badly damaged the building. It was left empty for more than a year after the fire. Then, in 1977, Jim Walton, Sam Walton, and Helen Walton bought the Massey Hotel. They decided to fix it up and turn it into office spaces.
The Bentonville Public Library moved into the first floor of the renovated building. It opened on November 11, 1979. The library stayed in the Massey Hotel for 27 years. Eventually, it grew too big for the old building and moved to a new location. The Massey Hotel also temporarily held some artworks for the Crystal Bridges Museum before it opened in 2011.
What Does the Hotel Look Like?
The Massey Hotel is a three-story building made of brick. It shows many features of the Second Renaissance Revival architectural style. This style often looks grand and classic.
For example, it has a porch along Central Avenue and A Street with many windows. You can also see stone bands, called a belt course and frieze, running around the building. The front of the building has a decorated pediment with the hotel's name on it.
The porch roof is held up by round stone columns. These columns sit on rough-looking granite bases. Above the columns, there's a decorative cornice and frieze with brackets. Both the tops of the columns and the brackets on the building have fancy acanthus leaf designs. The very top of the building has a large cornice, a brick wall, and a stone cap.
The flat roof of the porch used to be a walking area, or promenade. You can still see two doors that led out to it. Inside, the old parlor and ballroom had tile floors and ceilings made of pressed tin. The first floor has fixed windows with small windows above them called transoms. The upper floors have double-hung windows, which can open from both the top and bottom. All the windows have stone pieces above them called lintels.
