Central Avenue 1907

My heart has always longed for the Dugan-Stewart Bldg to be converted into loft condominiums. Aside from the street-level retail shops, the remaining floors have been left empty and unused. It is second and what seems to be the third building from the right. Connected with a Ground Floor entry, the two 'towers' reach farther upward, with the top floor displaying brilliant sunburst windows.

Today, the Southern Club still stands. Long gone are the gaming tables and slot machines. They've been replaced with human-size wax replicas of several US Presidents, the twelve apostles, and several 'have-been' Hollywood type personas. Aside from the Arlington Hotel, perhaps Josephine Tussaud's Wax Museum is the longest-surviving business on Central Avenue? Perhaps.

The Arlington Hotel in the photo is actually Arlington #2. When Hot Springs later burned, so did this hotel. The current Arlington (#3), now sits at the feet of this photographer, and the old hotel site is a green space. Known by the locals as 'Arlington Park', this half-block was soon reclaimed by the National Park system.