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PROGRESS The Sentinel-Record H Sunday, February 15, 2026 1CEach year, The Sentinel-Record welcomes businesses in Hot Springs and Garland County to share their success stories with its readers. And every year, there is plenty to share. This year is no exception. Formerly known as the Mailaway edition, Progress 2026 serves as a reflection of all the community has to offer and enjoy. Businesses share information on healthy living, educational opportunities in Hot Springs, places to relax and rejuvenate, and grow and prosper. As always, the businesses and organizations in this edition tell their stories in their own words, %u201csharing the good news%u201d with our readers. %u2022%u2022%u2022%u2022A leisurely stroll alongside Central Avenue downtown offers a plethora of sights and sounds for the local or visiting history buff or health enthusiast. Steam from the city%u2019s namesake hot springs billows over the sidewalk at various points along the way, giving the full experience of what this historic city has to offer.The centerpiece of downtown Hot Springs is a row of buildings in Hot Springs National Park constructed in the heyday of the bathing industry, now the home of a growing number of businesses that draw droves of visitors each year.%u2022%u2022%u2022%u2022Known as Bathhouse Row, the eight grand buildings were constructed from 1892 to 1923. This area, along with the Grand Promenade, was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987, according to the National Park Service.From north to south, the buildings are the Superior, the Hale, the Maurice, the Fordyce, the Quapaw, the Ozark, the Buckstaff and the Lamar.The Superior, which opened on Feb. 1, 1916, was built by L.C. Young and Robert Proctor in %u201can eclectic commercial style of classical revival origin,%u201d at a cost of $68,000. It is now home to the Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery, which is widely recognized as the only brewery within a National Park.Named for early bath house owner John Hale, the present Hale Bath House is at least the fourth building to use this name. The present Hale is the oldest visible structure on Bathhouse Row. In 2019, Pat McCabe and his wife, Ellen, opened the Hotel Hale, which features luxurious sleeping accommodations on the top floor and a fine dining restaurant, Eden.Designed by architect George Gleim Jr., the Maurice was built by William %u201cBilly%u201d Maurice to replace an existing Victorian-style building, the Independent Bath House, later renamed the Maurice after owner Charles Maurice, William%u2019s father. In August of 2025, the National Park Service announced a $31.6 million restoration of Maurice Bath House, and it was announced that the Great American Outdoors Act would fund the restoration efforts at the Maurice and three other bath houses in downtown Hot Springs. The law from 2020, which was scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025, set aside $1.9 billion per year to be used for the protection and sustainment of public lands. The Maurice is the final unoccupied bath house on Bathhouse Row.The Quapaw, which opened in 1922, is the longest on Bathhouse Row, occupying the site of two previous bath houses. It now houses the Quapaw Baths & Spa.Designed by architects Mann and Stern of Little Rock, the Ozark was completed in the summer of 1922, just a few months after the Quapaw opened for business. Built at a cost of $93,000 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building is set between low towers whose receding windows suggest the nascent Art Deco movement. The Ozark now houses Mystic Ozark %u2014 an interactive museum that offers locals and tourists alike an opportunity to learn more about Hot Springs%u2019 thermal waters.The Buckstaff, named for controlling shareholders George and Milo Buckstaff, replaced the former Rammelsberg Bath House. It has been in continuous operation since Feb. 1, 1912.The Lamar opened on April 16, 1923, replacing a wooden Victorian structure named in honor of the former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. The Lamar now houses the Bathhouse Row Emporium.Source: Hot Springs National ParkProgress 2026Bathhouse Ro A stroll through historyaboveAn unidentified woman walks along Bathhouse Row in front of the Hale Bath House. The bath house is home to the Hotel Hale. (The Sentinel-Record/File photo)leftVisitors enter Buckstaff Bath House In late 2025. The Buckstaff has been in continuous operation since Feb. 1, 1912. (The Sentinel-Record/File photo)below leftHome of Superior Bathhouse Brewery and Distillery, the Superior Bath House opened Feb. 1, 1916. (The Sentinel-Record/Thomas Buckman)abovePedestrians walk past the Maurice Bath House on Bathhouse Row. The Maurice is the final unoccupied bath house on Bathhouse Row. (The Sentinel-Record/File photo)The Quapaw Bath House, which opened in 1922, is home to Quapaw Baths & Spa. (The Sentinel-Record/Thomas Buckman)