Arkansas Hotel Makes List of National Register of Historic Places

Several Arkansas properties have recently been added and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Velda Rose Tower Motor Hotel

Out of the new additions the Velda Rose Tower Motor Hotel was built in 1963 on Park Avenue by Garland Anthony a prominent timber business owner from South Arkansas, according to the Sentinel-Record a local newspaper.

The hotel would be named Velda Rose after Garland's daughter and become a mainstay for visitors to the Hot Springs area for decades. The Velda Rose offered guests all the luxury of a modern-style hotel with amenities you wouldn't get in a regular motel. The Velda Rose Tower Hotel was a 200-room 10-story luxury hotel adjacent to the infamous Vapors casino which was renamed Vapors Live. In the 60s-70s, legendary stars Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Liberace graced the stages. Today Vapors Live continues to showcase some of the best musical artists from all entertainment genres.

Before building the Velda Rose Tower Motor Hotel Garland Anthony was also the owner of the Anthony Motel built in 1957 and the Avanell Motel in 1959 named after his daughters Avanelle and Nell.

Between 1950 and 1965, Hot Springs had a major building boom for hotels and motels because of casino gambling in the city. Eventually, that would come crashing down after a crackdown on illegal casino gambling that happened between 1964 and 1967. The motel and hotel business suffered due to illegal casinos being shut down and that left the hotels scrambling on what to do. It's believed that mobster Al Capone frequently visited the casino at the Velda Rose when he was in town.

The Velda Rose Tower Motor Hotel still stands tall today but from what I hear the property is abandoned but continues to be a reminder of Hot Springs's past and a piece of Arkansas history.

Have you ever stayed there?

See a complete list of the new National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas here.