Little is known about African American bathing services during the 1860s and 1870s. In the 1880s black patrons could buy bath tickets at the Ozark Bathhouse, the Independent Bathhouse, and possibly the Rammelsberg Bathhouse on Bathhouse Row, but they were not allowed to bathe during the hours considered optimum by prescribing physicians, particularly from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Black communities were at some distance from Bathhouse Row, but physicians agreed that walking home in the cool early morning or late afternoon hours after bathing might be a health risk. For several years, nothing was done to remedy the situation.

The Crystal Bathhouse was the first bathhouse built for the exclusive use of African Americans. Designed by architect John McCaslin (designer of the Maurice Bathhouse and the Great Northern Hotel and Baths), it opened in 1904. The Crystal was located at 415 Malvern Avenue at the edge of the African American business district. Owned by African Americans M.H. Jodd and A.R. Aldrich, the bathhouse also had rooms to rent above, managed by R.L. Torrence. In 1908, the bathhouse lease was transferred to the Knights of Pythias, under local management by Dr. Claude M. Wade and John T.T. Warren. However, the Crystal burned in the 1913 fire that destroyed 50 city blocks.

After the fire, the Pythian, named for its proprietors, stood on the site of the former Crystal Bathhouse. W.T. Bailey, head of the architecture department of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, designed the building. The bathhouse provided bathing services half price for members of the Knights of Pythias insurance organization. When the Woodmen of the Union Building closed in 1935, its hospital relocated to the fourth floor of the Pythian. The hospital provided treatment to members free of charge, and treated black indigent patients referred from the Government Free Bathhouse and other healthcare facilities in the community.

The segregated Pythian Bathhouse saw a doubling of its patronage by 1944. The National Park Service granted the Pythian permission to install additional tubs to relieve congested conditions. However, despite efforts to renovate and improve the bathhouse, the Pythian closed for repairs in December 1974 and never reopened.

Credits and Sources:

Cockrell, Ron. “The Hot Springs of Arkansas—America’s First National Park: Administrative History of Hot Springs National Park.” National Park Service. Accessed June 15, 2015.

“African Americans and the Hot Springs Baths.” National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/features/hosp/feat0001/african_americans_baths/phototour01.html. (Accessed June 16, 2015).

“African Americans and the Hot Springs Baths.” Pamphlet. National Park Service.