Firehouse Hostel & Museum

Visit Little Rock's first Hostel, located in beautiful MacArthur Park.

Built in 1917, old Fire Station 2 is a beautiful Craftsman-style building located at 1201 Commerce, within present day MacArthur Park, Little Rock’s oldest city park. The glory days of the fire station came to an end in 1957 when modern fire trucks became too large to fit inside and a new Fire Station 2 came into service across from MacArthur Park on 9th Street. The building was converted and used as a storage facility for the Arkansas Military Museum and as offices for Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department. After a fire on the first floor, rooms were added to first floor where fire trucks had previously entered the building, the inside staircase was removed and access to the 2nd floor was achieved by a new staircase from the outside. Little Rock Parks ran various programs from the site and allowed for its usage for various community functions. Since 2006, members of Hosteling Arkansas, Inc. have worked with the city and community to raise funds to gut and renovate the fire station. As the Firehouse Hostel & Museum it will houses guests and hostellers from around the world while including a fire fighting museum within its walls.

The parks' history in itself has a colorful past, including having a lively horse racing track in the 1830’s, a Federal Arsenal until after the Civil War, campground, amphitheater, baseball field and as the birthplace to General Douglas MacArthur.