Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge Will Reopen July 1 Following $9.6 Million Renovation and Expansion

2015-06-24

Popular inn on the Talimena National Scenic Byway will offer upgraded accommodations, large windows in the public and guest rooms that frame the views from Arkansas’s second highest mountain, and many other enhancements.

(MENA, Ark.)—Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge on 2,681-foot Rich Mountain, Arkansas’s second highest peak, will reopen on July 1, 2015, following a $9.6 million renovation, according to State Parks Director Greg Butts. “The improvements to this lodge that opened by the state of Arkansas in 1975 should receive rave reviews when it reopens,” said Butts. He noted the lodge will feature all new windows that will be larger to frame the views from Rich Mountain of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains. Butts emphasized, “Enjoying the panoramic scenery from the mountain is an important part of the Queen Wilhelmina State Park experience. Our visitors are going to enjoy the more wide open views from all the lodge’s public rooms, including the restaurant and all the guest rooms.”

The exterior of the lodge features shingles and stonework. The lodge was expanded from 25,881 square feet to 37,029 square feet to include the addition of a new hearth room with wood-burning fireplace, two additional guest rooms increasing the total to 40, and more space within all the rooms. Two guest rooms on each floor at the west end include gas fireplaces and spa tubs. Three are barrier-free to meet the needs of visitors with disabilities. They include Queen, King, King with spa tub and gas fireplace, and King Suite choices.

The upstairs meeting facility increased in size and includes a balcony overlooking the south view from the mountain. Public restrooms are located nearby.

An elevator was added to the lodge, as well as more stairwells. A wrap-around porch on the building’s south side will provide visitors with comfortable outdoor space. A new porch was added at the west end. And a new fire protection system covers the entire building.

Other improvements include a new energy efficient heating and air-conditioning system, energy saving lighting throughout, solar hot water, and other such features. A new laundry will serve the housekeeping staff.

The design consultant was The Borné Firm Architects P.A. of Little Rock, Robin Y. Borné AIA president. The architect’s consultants were Pettit and Pettit Consulting Engineers, Inc. of Little Rock (MEP), Engineering Consultants, Inc. of Little Rock (Structural), Hanson and McLaughlin Engineering, LLC of Little Rock (Civil), Development Consultants, Inc. of Little Rock (Landscape Architecture), Morris & Associates of Scott (Environmental), Grubbs, Hoyskn, Barton & Wyatt of Little Rock (Geotechnical), and Stellar Sun of Little Rock (Solar Hot Water System). TriMark Strategic of Coppell, Texas, was the consultant for the new kitchen. Jake Limberg of Arkansas State Parks, the park planner for Queen Wilhelmina State Park, developed the interior furnishings design.

The general contractors were Wade Abernathy, Inc. of Mt. Ida and Nabholz Construction Services of Conway.

The project was funded by Amendment 75, Arkansas’s Conservation Fund ($4,792,365), FY 12-14 grant monies from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council ($3,331,927), and State Parks Funds ($200,000). Furnishings and new kitchen equipment totaled $1,297,000.

Today’s lodge is the third hostelry to grace this same setting on 2,681-foot Rich Mountain. The first inn, opened in 1898 by the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (KCPG), was designed as a resort retreat for passengers on the line. The company spared no expense in constructing the luxurious hostelry of Victorian splendor. Since the KCPG was largely financed by Dutch interests, the resort was named in honor of the Netherlands’ young Queen Wilhelmina. Known as the “Castle in the Sky,” the inn closed in only three years.

The second Queen Wilhelmina inn was built by Arkansas State Parks and operated by the state of Arkansas from 1963 until a fire destroyed it in the fall of 1973.

Today’s Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge opened in 1975 to carry forward this lodging tradition on Rich Mountain. The just completed $9.6 renovation of this facility is what will greet visitors and guests when the lodge reopens on July 1. To make reservations, visit QueenWilhelmina.com or call 1-800-264-2477.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge is one of the four hotel-like lodges in the Arkansas state park system. The others are historic Mather Lodge at Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton, DeGray Lake Resort State Park Lodge near Arkadelphia, and The Lodge at Mount Magazine in Mount Magazine State Park near Paris.

Queen Wilhelmina State Park is one of the 52 state parks administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. In addition to the lodge, the 460-acre park includes a campground with 41 campsites and a bathhouse; picnic areas; trails; and a seasonal miniature train and mini-golf course. Park interpretive programs highlight Rich Mountain’s fauna and unique flora.

The park is on Ark. 88 (Talimena National Scenic Byway) 13 miles west of Mena. [For an alternate route from Mena or during inclement weather, go six miles north on U.S. 71, then travel nine miles west on U.S. 270, then go two miles south up Ark. 272.]

For additional information, contact: Greg Butts, director, Arkansas State Parks, 1 Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: 501-682-7743. Email: Greg.Butts@Arkansas.gov.

Photos available: www.ArkansasMediaRoom.com/press-releases/queen-wilhelmina-state-park-lodge-will-reopen-july-1-following-9-6-million-renovation-and-expansion

Looking for new attractions to cover in Arkansas? Check out updated story ideas, attraction lists, and “What’s New for 2015” at www.ArkansasMediaRoom.com.

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