- VL i3 200 t ~ e v . 10.74) 2&- 19-/f2% U ? ;TED STATES DEPART>IENT OF THE t STERLOIi

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

~OlgdA~RREG~S~X01:~STORICP~CES * , . L

L~97EPEOXY -- NOMNliTION FORM

SEE 1N ST RU CTlON S 1 N HOW TO C O M P L H E i?iAT/ONAL REGJSPER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES - - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS

H I S ~ ~ R I C Passmre H o u s e

AND/OR COMMON

Passmre-Lea House

STREET & NUMBER' ' 846 Park Avrsnue

-NOT FOR PUBUCATtON

CITY. YDWN CONGRES~IDNAL D ~ S T ~ C T ' H o t Springs - VIC~RIR OF . Third

STATE CODE C3UNTY CODE Arkansas 35 Gar land 051

DC WSSIPICATION

CATEGPRV OWNERSHIP STATU S PRESENT USE ,DISTRICT . ,PUBLIC ? O C ~ U P I E D A G R I C U L R I A E A U S E U M

X B U ~ L ~ ~ U G I S ) -%RIVATE ,UNOCCUPIED -COMMERCIAL -PARK

-ST9VCTC;3E ,n3? r -LVO3X I V PE(H;~ESS - .FCI IJCAT~~)~JAL ~ P ~ ! V A T E RESIDEHCC

-SITE PC13LI C ACC1UISITEON ACCESSlaLE -EH IEF~TAINLMC~T -9ELIGIOUS

'. -02JECT J N PROCESS - Y E 9 RESTRICTED -GOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFfC

-BEING CONSIDERED -YES: UNRESTRICTED JNDUSTRl4L -TAANSPORTA~OX

x -NO ,M~LITAW -OTHER:

NAME Miss Nilhelmha- Lea tk dc; I +

STRE€TL HUMBER

846 Park Avenue -

CITY. TO' f lN STATE

H u t SprEngs - V I C I N ~ ~ Y OF Arkansas

BLOCATION OF =GAL DESCRIPTION

- - - - -

STFIEET % NUMBER

Garland County Courtho-3se . an. rown STATE

--FEDERAL __STATE ,COUNTY -LOCAL

' DEPOSITORY FOR SUnVEY RECORDS

' I ?

;/

CITY. TOWN STATE

COFlDlTlOM CHECK ONE CHECK ON€ X ,DST€RlOFIATEO

4 X ,D(CE LLEnlT ,UNALTEACD ,ORIGINALSITE

- ? ~ G O O O ,RUINS JLTESEO -MOVED OAT:

-FAIR -UNcA?OSEO

DCSCRlB E THE PilESENT AND ORIGlXAL [IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Pass~~ore House 5n H o t Sgr ings is one of the m o s t picturesque Second Empire structures found in Arkansas. B u i l t in 1873 by Dr. Pauldin Passmore, the one-and-one-half-stoxey, cla;?board home stands amidst a thickly wooded estate at th5 base of North Mountain in Sot Springs. The building fea tures a sev2n-bay facade [north e levz t ion) set beneath a crested, multi-domered ,

m=sard roof. Outstanding exterior features are the big-1 decorative temple dormers, dmpping below the cornice L f ~ e erhellished w i t h a? er3ossed design on the tympanum, 2nd a protruding two-storey, central pavilion which is t reated as 2 tower.

The chim-eys found on the hone are corbelled at the caps, and the cornice - along the facade is moduled and bracketed. Tne apertures are rectilinear a?d present an e x t r e m l y ver t ica l ap?zarance, The upper sash of the dou3le-hung windows is as a rule b r d s r e d w i t h s m a l l panes of s ta ined glass. On both the first and seeo~d floor l eve l s exterior doorwzys in the protruding cent ra l pavilion are double or French doors. A small quat re- foil l a t t i c o balcony f r o n t s the door on the upper f loor . Xn keeping with "Conoral Grant" Style architeckure, porches are attached to much of the open w a l l scrface on tha f irst flms. Tbe rear and sick elevations oE the home are distinguis5nd by nmeroas bays and insets, gonerally unadorned , . . a ~ d c3spleF-21y con2er~po~ar.y with tx2 orisin31 co2s t r u s t i o n or^ tf-12 5ous2-

- I The stairway, as is usczf with Second Empire structures, is the focal point I. o f incsriox decoration. It is constmcted of turned harZrmod ar.d f o l l o w s

' a 2og-leg pattern.. - T;re Passmore Fouse, however, contains an eccent r ic t I in ter ior featcre which reflects the original turn of mind of i t s archLtect- 3 -

Y - b u j l e r and i n i t i z l oVmerr Mr. Passrmrz. Flznking the entrance ha31 is a

?me led dining morn encased Seneath a domed cel l ing. The stained glass which once farmed a skylig11t in the middle of this large d o ~ e has since been replaced in an unauthentic manner, and the simple, painted, mural covering the interior surface of the dome is f a l l i n g ar~zy, but . the continued presencs of the dome makes the room one of the most unusual in Arkansas.

i i

Except for rare instances of chipged paint and tattered wallpaper the i n t e r 5 o r of the house remairis in an excellent, original condition. Some uqusual antiquz technological features such as a coal-base burner, and bethroorn fixtures also rsrnain.

The house, the property, and a single ancillary structure located bshind -the house havz suffered no mjor alterations. F u r t h e m r e , the s e t t i n g is suf flciently obscured b j ~ forest. h ~ d mnnta in E r o m its more mdem surroundings that the mind csn w i t h good conscience wandzr back and be - enveloped by the year of 1873.

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANC77 - - CHECK ANDJUSTlFY BELOW

ARCHEOLUGY-PREHISTORIC ,CGM%lUYlTY PLANNlNG -LdNDSCAPE AACHlTECTllFlE

ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CON5ERVdfldN -LAW

A C R I C U L T U A E ,ECOFlOhllCS -LITERATUF(E

ZARCHITECTURE ,EDUCATION -MILITARY

A R T ,ENGINEERRIkG ,MUSIC

~ Z O M M E R C E -EXPLD~~ATICIN~SET~'LE?W~ EN7 ,PnlLOSOPHY , , - ._ ..

-COMMUNiCATIONS JNDWSTRY -POLIT~CS:GOV€ R'N~IENT

A N V E N T I O N

SPECIFIC DATES 1873 7. * > ?

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ; ,- <-" c + -7 . . Yb.

-5; , Medicine and H o t Springs have long been joined in economic, if laot spiritual, . . . _. .. matrimony by the presence of thermal springs located on the eastern s l ~ p e of H o t Springs Mountain. These waters, known as the "healing vapors," wers qreat ly exploited for their a b i l i t y to give relief to various a r t h r i t i c -:-

md rheumatic conditions in the era Szfore the "wonder1* and "miracbe" Zmgs. . .- - While some realized the potential which bu551ed in the stezmy springs as . -. . . . ..i early as the 1840's, it was not until efter the Civil W a r t h a t the serious -= business of building Hot Springs into the nation's premier health resort . . r.. -

;- -+ was undertaken. F. + Z, =

--.= : .,..-

OR ddty as a Union surgean fox t h e R n z y Dep~rtmont of tha Nest, Dr, P a d d i n : . . Passmre E i r s t gassed 4hr~xg; l Hot S p r i ~ g s ig t3e ye2x ISii3. Ks i;a s s! zasar: -

with Arkansas, and after the war s e t t l e d in L i t t l e Rock, en te r ing busifiess - . -. L as a druggist, Soon, how-ever, t h e lure of H o t Springs drew him southward

and he began w h a t was to become a most successful apothecaxy t r a d e in ' * . < . .. .

Fat Springs. Re was prese2t during the b o o m years, 1870-1890, when Ao t . 7. Springs was transformed from a frontier settlenertt, nated3y mmtaineers :. -5

L: .-:- and delta planters for its soothing ba th ing water, i n t o a hea l th m e t l r o p 3 l i s . . . - * - connectet! to t h e n a t i o n by railway and by reputation. In the summer the :: '< -.

c i t y resembled a Victorian carniiral. Dr, Passmre profitted f r o m this 5 -1. ._ I - . .

phenomenal.expa?sion, leaving behind three well-patronized drug stores..at , . .. . -__ . - .. -. his death in 1896. . .

--+ -7 3. . .C . *

P ' -

The construction of the Passmore residence took place fn 1873. It was a . .. L 1 '

smptwus structure, b e f i t t i n g a man w h o had made good by being in the , i . - :.: -?

r i g h t professson at the r ight place and at the right t i m e . Dr. Passmore ; -2 ,= designed the building and s u p e ~ s e d construction. He displayed great , - , .

imagination in fitting the Second En2ire S t y l e to his otm personal p r e f e r - - \ i ,

ences and needs.

The building was set on a forested. knoTL several hundred feet. fxom t h e nearest. thoroughfare, Park Avenue. he ~akk Avenue district was at t 5 e time the most exclusive new residential sect ion of the c i t y , and it was the safest* baing well-removed f r o m the ol&r sectic~ oE tolm,which was clustered in a narrow, fire-pxone, valley a lcng H o t Sp r ings Creek.

Today, the one-and-one-half-storey c laphard house looks much as it d i d 1 '\

in 1873. O r n a t e iron crest ing crctfls the mvzsard xocf, which in tne Second Empire fasbion is curved. Unusual temple 2ormers decal-ate %he

prm. No l9.300a lev. 10-74)

U b l Z E D S T A T ~ S DEPrlrRTbIliKTOk' T t I t ZNTk;RIOR - KATIONAL PARK SERVICE

FOR NPS USE OHLY

RECEIVED

DATE ENTERED

I . CONTl MUATION SHEET I T E M NUMBER 8 PAGE 1

roof and extend down below the cornice l i n e . A two-storey central. pavilion, capped w i t h a separate, crested mansard, protrudes f r o m the facade -(north e l e v a t i o n ) of the house, foreshadowing the towered structures of the later V i c t o r i a n period. A k l doorways and windows are expressed as severely vertical foms. The rear sections of the str~cture are cornposed of n m e m u s madomed bays and i n se t s .

Tne i n t e r i o r is made unique by one eccentric element- The c e i l i n g of the dining r o o m is fom.ed into a large &me bzo:con in the niddle by a s t a ined- glass skylight. As was common in t h e mrc expensive Hot S2rings homes of the period, hardwood was used for every conceivable t y p o of moulding. The stairway is also an elaborate hardwood c o n p z i t i o n . A coal-base burner has been retained by the present owner, khough it is no longer in use.

T>.s exterior 2nd i n t ~ r i o r cf t52 hoae a r e i.n z c ~ d co-ditlafi. Tress aai! hills shield the hone f r o m awelcoze, old:-of-charester ~ i s - a l i a t r x s i ~ n z ,

Eiss ~ilhelmina ~ e a , the grandzaughter of Cs. Passnore, is t he present owner of the home. Plans for the disposal of the house after her death are uncelrtain.

The Passmore House can s t a n d , as much an example of economic history as .it can of architectural history. It was b u i l t during t h e boon period of the City of Eot Springs and it represents the tastes and Liv ing s t a n d a r d of one who was able to profit f r o m the rzpid expansion.

. . r-.. P ST.. ': - . I;., : 7

II b. . 5, !:;-\ t'. " 6.. " t'. 5 - t- - ! 1; ! I., t i- 1". F '

;. ". h a , PJilheLniria, Personal i n t e r v i e w , kt Springs, September, 1975. . . . - .,~

3 .'c ~ d l m , John. niographicnl and, Pictoria History of Arkansas. A-any: k - -- -.-

-i Wed, Parsons and Conpany , F r i n t e x s , 1857 = , : :& -.

Scul ly , FrancLs 3. Hot S2rings Arkansas m d X o t Springs ~ a t i b n a l Park. -1- = --*' 4 --,.

L i t t l e Rock: Hanson Carn?any, 1966. - -ic* ;>

r;L 5- -+*

L .% ;_.2 * - -z,: mr ?;i?luEOGRAgHICAL DATA " 2 ZG

ACRZAGE OF No?,l.rlMATED PROPCRTY less t h ~ ? 0;Le aCfe ;- r r

U T M REFERENCES

~ 1 1 , 5 1 1419,~16~6,01 1j,812~014~8~01 &A u ZONE EASTlNG NORTH;MG ZONE EASTlNG

DW 1- !

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

- . .. * -

L- - . f -** . *----;$!

> . ;"e 8. ' >$

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPkNG STATE C)R COUNTY BOUNDARIES i. -.>$ < - .A >-+ < ,;2+

STATE CODE CQU N lY CCOE ;; ;='& ;;:,<- . -* . - F- -rc < --.'C+.*

C 0 3 5 C O U N Y CODE STATE . , >..+** - x e : pj.5:

3'>? <--- I;.

~ P O X M PREPARED BY -5s

6. ..'> - ,-- [ . '..:::

NAME t' TITLE t ys: -- . - ,A

!*like Shinn, Historian :. . . .-,>: .-., - - 3 .I * ,..+

ORGANlZnnON DATE t'--'+ <- *+

Arkansas Historic Preservation P rog rm 3-9- 76 ;A .---: .. . . - .C<

STPEET& :UMBER TELEPHONE ><..?,

. 503-371-1639 *--A 390 West Markhan G . . -*.: Ad <.. . -. . < I

STATE , . -- --

CITY OR TOWN c . :;-2 -

Arkansas ' F < =&: L i t t l e &ck,- g ."-4

5 A,. .'$ * a STA- HISTOXIC PSESE~YATION OPFI CESEB CERTIFICATION ;.. = .A" Y

THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICAMCE OF THlS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: E , ' - .-< L .- ?- :,;

NATIONAL - STATE - LOCAL r * ," : - 12 C' .

As the desrgnared State Historic Prese~~ation Officer for the Mat~onal Hrstoric Presematlon Act ot 1965 {Public Law 84-6651, 1 . ZP. hereby nomanate this property fcr inclusion *in the Nations1 Regtster and certify that, it, has k e ~ n evaluated according to the h' - .:

<<- r -- 4; criteria and procedures set fanh by the National Park Servics --..

: > & . ?;a--.-*' ; S rATE HISTORIC PRESERVATIDN OFFICER SIGNATURE Bartle~ 4 &"--/ +-+' :- . - . d

C C G:

TITLE State KFstoric Preservation Program D ~ ~ E 3-9-76 ; -. I ?? 1 . . ..-1'

F 5 H NPS USE OMCY r. I WEgEBY CERTIW TgAT TI-iFS P23?ERM IS LXCLUDED fN THE KSTID>iAL REGISTER . . . . DATE '.

DIP.ECKl R, QTFrC4 OF ARC~EOLGSY AN n EiSTORrC P i ? F S R V i + T i 9 ? i - . #,ATE >ITTEST:

XZEPEE OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER

. . "

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t :; . . .'>* . f t P Q 5 3 9 - 4 - 5 . -.