2007 List

Mountainaire Hotel

Endangered List: Back To Main Page
City/County/Congressional District: Hot Springs , Garland County ( District 4 )
Location Class: HospitalHotel/Motel
Year Built: 1947 | Year Abandoned: 1990s
Historic Designation: N/A
Status: For SaleAbandonedEndangered

The Mountainaire Apartments were built around 1947 along Park Avenue in Hot Springs. Originally constructed as a hotel, it catered to the booming tourism draw of Hot Springs and its place along the road to Dallas from the east. These two nearly identical towers are the finest example of Art Moderne architecture in Hot Springs and perhaps the region. The steel casement windows at the corners and vertical massing make this style one of the more unique early twentieth century styles. The Mountainaire builder, A.I. Albinson relocated to Hot Springs from Minnesota to take advantage of the booming tourist industry in the area. Mr. Albinson operated the Mountainaire as a hotel for 20 years before converting them into apartments and later a nursing home.

The Mountainaire buildings have been vacant since the mid-1990s. Most of the interior was stripped out for an impending restoration project which never materialized. While the structures have remained vacant, the roof has slowly deteriorated to the point of water infiltration damaging the interior.

The Mountainaire is an unique structure that reflects the early twentieth century history of Hot Springs and the development of an automobile tourism culture. To lose such a building to the elements would surely be a loss for Hot Springs and Arkansas.