Success Stories

Meeting our mission with creative solutions.

NPS photo/Mitch Smith

Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park - Arkansas

Bathhouse Row National Historic Landmark District in Hot Springs National Park (HOSP) features eight historic bathhouses built between 1892 - 1923. At the peak of thermal water bathing in the 1940s, the businesses provided more than 1 million baths annually for patients. By 1985, all but one had closed due to advancements in modern medicine and changing public interest. Over the next 40 years, HOSP staff employed creative strategies to reoccupy these structures, resulting in the current use of all but one. First, in the late 1980’s, HOSP tried leasing all of the bathhouses together via a Master Lease. After six years without success, the park shifted to leasing them individually. To reduce upfront costs for lessees and attract investment, HOSP invested in lead and asbestos abatement for two bathhouses. This shift in strategy led to the successful reopening of the Quapaw Bathhouse in 2008. Since then, three other bathhouses have reopened as various businesses, including a boutique hotel, a brewery and restaurant, and a children’s museum. For each bathhouse, NPS has invested in necessary updates and abatements before offering a Request for Proposals (RFP.) Then, each lessee has invested $2-4.5 million in restoration, maintenance, and configuring the building to their specific needs, significantly aided by Historic Preservation Tax Credits. Soon, the last bathhouse, the Maurice, will be rehabilitated through Great America Outdoors Act funding. An RFP will be offered concurrently with the construction process—allowing the lessee to weigh in on final layout and design. HOSP’s plan for the Maurice builds on their proven strategy that has successfully attracted thriving businesses and encouraged adaptive reuse of these historic structures. The revitalization of Bathhouse Row exemplifies more than four decades of HOSP’s efforts, highlighting how public-private partnerships can preserve historic assets, support small businesses, and energize local communities.

Cavallo Point Lodge, Golden Gate National Recreation Area - California

In early 2005 the NPS entered into a leasing agreement with developers to construct a retreat and conference center at the former Fort Baker Coast Guard facility in San Francisco. Construction of the Cavallo Point Lodge began in October 2006. The redevelopment included the historic rehabilitation of 23 buildings and the construction of 11 small lodging buildings. Over $100 million dollars was invested in this project including traditional bank loans, private equity, historic tax credit equity, and federal funds. The Cavallo Point Lodge opened for business in May 2008 under a 60-year lease. Not only did this project rehabilitate historic structures and provide for the ongoing maintenance of the facilities, it also provides an additional location for guests and visitors to enjoy the park.

Floyd Bennett Field, Gateway National Recreation Area - New York

In 2017, the Williams’ Transco Pipeline Partnership entered into a lease with Gateway National Recreation Area to restore historic airplane hangars at New York’s Floyd Bennett Field. This project took a number of years to complete due to the amount of detail required for the final restoration plan to meet the Secretary of Interiors Standards for Historic Preservation (PDF 18 MB). The project was done in cooperation with the New York's State Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Williams' Transco invested $22 million in this rehabilitation project. The project received the Chairman’s Award for Achievement in Historic Preservation from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Williams' Transco also received the New York State Historic Preservation Award honoring excellence in the protection and rejuvenation of New York’s historic landmarks.

The Haslett Warehouse, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

The Haslett Warehouse is a 198,000 square-foot warehouse constructed in 1907. The warehouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and declared a historic landmark by the city of San Francisco in 1974. In 1978 the warehouse was transferred to NPS and became part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in 1988. Vacant since 1986, the warehouse was first offered for lease in 1998 with an estimated renovation cost of $8 million. In 2002, the NPS entered into a 57-year lease with Kimpton Hotels to renovate the property into a 252-room hotel. After a fire during the renovation period the Argonaut hotel opened for business in August 2003. The building also houses the San Francisco Maritime Park Museum.