The Crescent Hotel & Spa
May 20, 1886
America's newest and most luxurious hotel built at a cost of
$294,000.
It was two years ago that Powell Clayton and his associates
chose the site of the new Crescent Hotel. Twenty-seven acres at
the north end of West Mountain, a majestic location overlooking
the valley. The commissioning of Isaac S. Taylor as architect
was announced and construction commenced. Special wagons were
constructed to transport the huge pieces of limestone from the
quarry site on White River near Beaver. Mr. O'Shawnessey, the
spokesman of the imported group of Irish Masons predicts, "The
eighteen inch thick walls of the Crescent, fitted without the
use of mortar, would withstand the destructive forces of time
and retain its original beauty for many years to come." The
property is lighted with Edison lamps, furnished with electric
bells, heated with steam and open grates, has a hydraulic
elevator, and is truly a showplace of today's conveniences. -
Eureka Springs Echo
The article above announced the opening of the wonderful resort.
The Crescent Hotel today, recognized as one of the few historic
hotels of America has undergone several personalities including
the operation of a seasonal girls school, the Crescent College
and Conservatory and that of a cancer hospital from 1937 - 1939.
In 1997, however, Martin and Elise Roenick saved the hotel from
a sad decline and initiated an aggressive restoration project to
recapture the elegance, protecting the irreplaceable. Marty
Roenick so perfectly described at the time of his purchase his
goal "Elise and I have a vision to take the Crescent Hotel in
five years to where it was nearly a century ago." In 2002, this
feat has been accomplished as the Crescent Hotel has reopened to
its full capacity for the first time in 75 years.
