The historic Kress Department Store Building, located on Central Avenue in Hot Springs, has recently come under the ownership of Robert and Mary Zunick.
Robert Zunick, owner of the Waters Hotel, recently purchased the Kress building from its previous owner, Thomas Nagin. The building is home to the U.S. Post Office, Beverly’s Casual Shop, Direclynx and a local nonprofit organization named Low Key Arts. The third floor of the building houses three AirBnbs called “Lofts on Central,” which are connected to rooftop patios overlooking Central Avenue and Hill Wheatley Plaza.
The new owners have expressed a desire to keep things consistent and maintain as many of the building’s original aspects as possible. There are multiple vacant spaces on the building’s second floor, which they hope to rent out to local businesses or nonprofits.
A mural titled “Venus of the Springs” decorates the side of the building. As passionate members of the Hot Springs art community, Robert and Mary plan to hold a celebration of the artwork with its creator, Patrick Cunningham, alongside an open house for the building.
The building also has an acre of adjacent parking space; the new owners have expressed an interest in developing the space through a public or private partnership to address the parking shortage in downtown Hot Springs.
Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to reflect the correct location of the building.
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