Langdon Filling Station - Hot Springs, Arkansas - Vintage Gas Stations on Waymarking.com

"The Langdon Filling Station was prominently displayed at the end of Park Avenue closest to downtown Hot Springs.It was constructed to attract tourists and automobile traffic as the conversion along Park Avenue from large residential homes to commercial businesses aimed at automobile travelers began in the mid to late-1930s. Beginning with the completion of the paved Little Rock-Hot Springs highway (Highway 70) in 1925, Park Avenue being the final stretch into “the Spa City,” residents of Hot Springs and Park Avenue saw an opportunity to “make a buck” off the growing automobile traffic the highway guaranteed.In addition to being a convenient stop en route to Dallas, Texas, Hot Springs thrived as a tourist destination.Known primarily for the healing powers of the thermal waters that flowed from its hillsides, Hot Springs also boasted alligator and ostrich farms, a horse-racing track, several theaters, and two amusement parks during its visitation peak.With the growth of automobile traffic, and the expansion of the city of Hot Springs in the 1930s–40s, travelers began looking for convenient and accessible services near highways.

As a result, traveler services, including tourist courts and service stations, began appearing along Park Avenue because of its proximity to Hot Springs’ major attractions and entertainment venues.The evolution of the gas station roughly went from pumps outside of general stores in downtown areas, to residential styled freestanding buildings, to corporate-designed structures identifying individual petroleum companies. The gas and service stations along Park Avenue were designed to resemble residential structures, primarily in the English Revival and Craftsman styles.

Early records of the Langdon Filling Station reveal that Albert E. Langdon built the structure around 1938 and ran the Langdon Filling Station until 1944.According to the Hot Springs City Directories, Langdon sold the property to A. C. Griffith in 1944. Griffith had sold the building to Gene Eddleman by 1946. The Gene Eddleman Filling Station occupied the site for 5 years, at which point it was purchased by Warner Howard and became the Warner Howard gas station.It is unclear whether or not any of the owners were associated with a large oil company, and the research did not reveal any corporate businesses associated with the owners or their gas stations.

Langdon Filling Station was built circa 1938 in the English Revival style. The building is in very good condition and was used continually as a service station until the mid-1990s without compromising the integrity of the original design of the structure, though some minor updates have been preformed.

By the early-1950s medical advancements had made drugs more readily available for ailments previously treated with thermal baths, resulting in the decline of visitors to the city.Unlike their tourist court neighbors on Park Avenue, gas and service stations did not suffer because of the decline of tourism in Hot Springs. The population of Hot Springs continued to grow and production of the automobile had doubled by the 1950s. Residents continued to patronize service stations and garages allowing them to serve their original function." - National Register Nomination form

The station has been restored and converted to serve as a store.

Address of the station: 311 Park Ave. Hot Springs, Arkansas Type of Gas Station: Reborn

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