Hot Springs is a town built on the past, and a big part of that past went up in flames last week.
The once beautiful Majestic Hotel, a few blocks north of the more well-known Arlington Resort and Spa, has in recent years become an anchor to the north end of Hot Springs' downtown. And in this case, the anchor isn't a good thing. The vacant structure weighs down that end of town as a relic of the past. In a perfect world, the once-magnificent facility would be preserved in a useful way, but the odds of that happening seemed pretty slim.
It was heartbreaking to open Friday's newspaper to see a front-page photograph of flames destroying history, buildings that had been part of downtown since as early as 1902.
One doesn't have to live in Arkansas long to recognize Hot Springs and Eureka Springs are among the state's most unique towns, well worth visiting over and over again. With its nearby lakes, thoroughbred horse racing track, hot springs and a downtown wedged between mountains, Hot Springs can be a vibrant place. But parts of it also stand as stark reminders that its past was far more glorious than its present.
I got my start as a professional journalist working at the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, a great community newspaper in a town that has a knack for producing news. I've covered meetings or veterans reunions and the like at the old Majestic. It was easy to appreciate it as a walk back in time, but I wouldn't want the job of making the place relevant to today's travelers.
That was too big a job for people trained in the hospitality industry, too. The hotel closed in 2006 and was only recently boarded up as a safety hazard. Seeing such a structure in decline is tough.
But I can't imagine anyone skilled enough to find a new use for the old hotel. Like other structures in Hot Springs, I'm afraid, it was destined to become an eyesore and constant danger. Buildings like that need to be used to withstand the forces of Mother Nature. Sometimes, it's better to literally go out in a blaze of glory, creating one final memory-making moment equal to all those created in its decades of existence in the heart of a great town.
But it's so sad to see it go. Other buildings downtown, such as the Mountain Valley Spring Co., have been renovated for wonderful new uses, contributing a great touch of class and architectural significance to their surroundings. Such structures always gave me a sense of connection to the many Arkansans and visitors who came before me. It's a lot harder to know and feel a state's history if we do not preserve important parts of it for new generations to see.
With Thursday's night's blaze in Hot Springs, the state lost something truly majestic.
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It's been nearly a decade since I hired a young University of Arkansas graduate to cover crime, law enforcement, fires, community events and other sorts of mayhem for the Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville. Kate Ward has grown from what seemed like a kid trying to keep up to a seasoned (but still young) journalist who has covered almost everything under the sun in Fayetteville.
Saturday marked her last day as she and her husband (whom she met at the Times) prepare to move to Little Rock for other opportunities. Her departure takes a little bit of the Times history with it. She's been a great person to work with and her news coverage has served readers in Fayetteville well.
Best wishes for a great future, Kate.
GREG HARTON IS OPINION PAGE EDITOR FOR NWA MEDIA.
Commentary on 03/03/2014