We had a leisurely breakfast in the Villa this morning; then we headed into Eureka Springs for a Trolley Tour of the historic town…
Eureka Springs is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas. It is located in the Ozark “Mountains” (elevation 1,260′) in northwest Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,166.
The entire city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Eureka Springs Historic District. Eureka Springs has been selected as one of America’s Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Eureka Springs was originally called “The Magic City”, “Little Switzerland of the Ozarks”, and later the “Stairstep Town” because of its mountainous terrain and the winding, up-and-down paths of its streets and walkways.
It is a tourist destination for its unique character as a Victorian resort, which first attracted visitors to use its then believed healing springs. The city has steep winding streets filled with Victorian-style cottages and manors. The historic commercial downtown of the city has an extensive streetscape of well-preserved Victorian buildings. The buildings are primarily constructed of local stone, built along limestone streets that curve around the hills, and rise and fall with the topography in a five-mile long loop. Some buildings have street-level entrances on more than one floor and other such oddities: the Basin Park Hotel has its front entrances on the floor below first, and a ground-level emergency exit in the back of the building on the fifth floor. The streets wind around the town, with few intersecting at right angles. There are no traffic lights.
The tour was fun, and there is lots to see. Our tour guide has lived in Eureka Springs all his life. We’ll take his word for it. Some of the other things he told us were definitely not true…!
This picture of us on the tram is compliments of Lynda Polk…!
The Crescent Hotel is one of the larger hotels in town, and it is certainly a fine place…
A lot of the houses are built with native stone…
Tour Guide lie #1: “This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and is pictured in many of the “coffee table” picture books of his work.”
Truth: No, it’s not. It is like virtually all houses built in the US in the 20th century: It was “influenced” by the work of Wright…
The hills are full of these beautiful rock formations…
Tour Guide lie # 2: “This house is the smallest Victorian house in the US”,
Truth: No, it’s not. There are over 600 Victorian houses in Redlands, CA, and many of them are much smaller than this…
The downtown streets are quaint, crowded, and quite touristy…
After the trolley tour we joined other caravaners and had lunch at “Local Flavor”…
After lunch we drove the five minutes up the highway to view the Thorncrown Chapel
Thorncrown Chapel is a chapel located in Eureka Springs, designed by E. Fay Jones and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. (Jones was the only apprentice of Wright whom Wright thought was any good…) The chapel was commissioned by Jim Reed, a retired schoolteacher, who envisioned a non-denominational pilgrimage chapel set apart for meditation. The design of Thorncrown Chapel was inspired by Sainte-Chapelle, a Gothic church in Paris, France, pierced by numerous stained glass windows. It held some of King Louis’s medieval Christian relics, including the Crown of Thorns believed worn by Christ. This relic inspired the name of the American chapel.
The chapel’s unusual artistry has been recognized worldwide. It was selected for the 2006 Twenty-five Year Award by the American Institute of Architects. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000, a status not granted to buildings fewer than fifty years old unless exceptionally significant.
The chapel stands 48 feet high, 24 feet wide, and 60 feet long. It has 425 windows, which add up to 6,000 square feet of glass. During the design process, Jones decided that in order to preserve the site’s natural setting, no structural element could be larger than what two men could carry through the woods. The structure was constructed using organic materials indigenous to northwestern Arkansas, including pressure-treated Southern pine and flagstone for the floor and surrounding wall. The small ornamental roof skylight was later enlarged to provide additional natural lighting throughout the chapel.
The chapel looks like an open-air structure, but is, in fact, an enclosed and air-conditioned space that seats up to 100 people. It is open daily from March to December with free admission. It is closed January and February except for weddings and other special events. Non-denominational church services are held on Sundays from April to December.
Note the attention to detail: All the screws are oriented in the same direction…
Some of the flagstone on site…
It was with much regret that we had to leave this beautiful and awe-inspiring place…
Tonight we have a hamburger cookout…
We returned to the Villa; an enjoyable time was had by all…
Adventures in the Villa 