The Three Flat-Irons

Within sight of Basin Springs, the original Flat-Iron Building was constructed in 1880 as the town's first banking establishment and the first brick structure among hundreds of wood buildings. Its unusual three-sided, four-story form featured wood trim and a wraparound porch between the second and third floors. In 1890, a fire that began in the nearby Perry House Hotel destroyed several buildings, including the Flat-Iron. A second Flat-Iron was soon built on the site as a three-story brick building with elaborate limestone ornamentation and a pressed metal cornice. By 1900, it housed the Frisco Saloon, with business offices and a lodge hall on the upper floors. In 1925, the second Flat-Iron also burned, and its brick and stone remains were removed. The site remained vacant until 1989, when a third Flat-Iron was constructed there, incorporating architectural design elements from both earlier structures.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas · United States