Hotel McCartney

Rising ten stories above the Texarkana skyline, the McCartney Hotel serves not only as a focal point for the city, but also as a visual reminder of the prominence Texarkana enjoyed as a major southwest railway center during the height of rail transportation. Reciprocally related to the Union Station Terminal, the hotel offered a variety of facilities to travelers and local residents alike. The structure is a good example of the commercial style of building prevalent in the early 20th century and features outstanding Art Deco interior architectural and decorative detailing. The McCartney Hotel stands today as a reminder of the thriving commercial and industrial economy Texarkana boasted during the first half of the 20th century. Designed in the grand hotel style of the 1920's by Houston architect Joseph Finger, the hotel is prominently located across from Union Station Terminal, a major railroad center of the southwest. This convenient association enabled a symbiotic relationship to develop between the two structures which are located in the central business district. The hotel was an accommodating establishment for businessmen and tourists alike. Texarkana was established in 1873 at the site where the great Southwest Trail, for centuries the main route from Mississippi River Indian villages to those of the south and west, passed by a Caddo Indian village. In 1874 two major railroads were joined in this city which is located on the state line of Texas and Arkansas. By 1928 four major railroads included Texarkana in the vast network of rails woven across the continent. This railway connection enabled the economy of Texarkana to expand, based on the rich timberlands, arable farmland, and abundant and diversified mineral deposits of the area. The site of the McCartney Hotel was the first town lot sold in the city, and was previously occupied by the three-story Cosmopolitan Hotel, noted for its appeal to traveling theatrical troupes and said to have hosted Will Rogers and Lilly Pons. The Cosmopolitan was razed in 1929 by owner W.A. McCartney, Sr. to make way for the larger, more accommodating McCartney Hotel, which remains the tallest building in Texarkana. The reinforced concrete and brick structure became a focal point for the city's skyline. Rising ten stories above the city, the structure bears a modified resemblance to the skyscrapers of the Chicago School. The first two floors relate to the street, the third through eighth floors are identically void of decoration and the top floor is emphasized with window trim and intermittent insertions of balusters at the parapet level. Mr. McCartney was a prominent resident of Texarkana, coming to the city in 1874 at the age of four years. In the 1940's and 1950's McCartney, who had then become known as the city's "unofficial historian," hosted gatherings at the hotel for national, regional, and local dignitaries, civic leaders, business leaders, and friends. From these prestigious meetings grew efforts led by McCartney which eventually resulted in the convergence in Texarkana of four major U.S. highways. Over the last twenty-five years the increase in highway transportation brought about the gradual decline in the importance of Texarkana as a railway center. As a result, the hotel ceased to operate as such in the early 1970's and in 1976 was sold and used for storage. Current plans are to restore the facade of the structure and convert into retail and office space.