Miss Laura’s Social Club, tucked away in the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas, was once a “house of ill repute.” Today, it is the only former bordello listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1896, the beautiful Victorian baroque structure was initially known as the Riverfront Commercial Hotel. This gorgeous house still looks much as it did then, replete with a mansard roof, wrought iron and oeil-de-boeuf dormer windows, making it one of the most distinct surviving houses in the city.
Initially located at 123 First Street, it was just a stone’s throw from the river and situated in what was once a vibrant neighborhood known as “The Row,” which became an infamous red-light district in a town known as “Hell on the Border.” Miss Laura’s was only one of several brothels which sprung up around the turn of the century.
The stately hotel was purchased in 1898 by Laura Ziegler, who had another purpose in mind. Her instincts proved right: Miss Laura reportedly took out a $3,000 loan to purchase it, but she was able to repay it in just 17 months. Business was booming.
Those days didn’t last too long, however. The town began to grow in population, which required more stringent regulation. By about 1910, two brothels in The Row had burned down, and others were damaged by an oil tanker explosion.
In 1911, Miss Laura sold the business to Bertha Gale Dean, known as Big Bertha, for $47,000. The house remained a brothel until Bertha Dean’s death in 1948, and it was eventually abandoned. By 1963, it had become severely dilapidated, to the degree that city officials determined that unless a buyer stepped up to purchase and renovate it, the historic house would be demolished.
That’s when Donald Reynolds, a local media figure, bought it and rescued it from destruction. Due to his efforts, the historic building was chosen for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Reynolds began restoration efforts in earnest in 1983, and a year later, Miss Laura’s Social Club and Restaurant was opened. The restaurant didn’t last long, but it reopened as Fort Smith’s visitor center in 1992.
Today, you can still visit Miss Laura’s, the interior of which is full of artifacts and furnishings. The house itself is stunning, having been meticulously restored to its original glory.