The Callaghan Apartments, also known as the Plaza Apartments and Hotel and the Plaza Hotel, was erected in 1918 in Hot Springs State Park in

Thermopolis, Wyoming Thermopolis is the county seat and largest town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725. Thermopolis is Greek for "hot city." It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which m ...

. It was at one time one of six hotels catering to tourists using the Big Spring of Thermopolis, a hot spring reputed to possess curative properties. The hotel was erected by bricklayer James Callaghan, who obtained a 98-year lease on the site commencing on January 1, 1918. Callaghan made his own bricks in a kiln he built on the site, completing the Callaghan Apartments in June 1918. He employed several nurses and a masseur for his guests. In 1921 Callaghan sold the property to Dr. P.W. Metz who renamed it The Plaza. The two-story yellow brick building overlooks the

Big Horn River The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the states of Wyoming and Montana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the bighorn sheep he saw along its ban ...

and originally had 70 rooms with a common bathroom at the end of each hall. The baths were once provided with mineral water. The building is U-shaped in plan, facing east with a concrete foundation under the central portion and stone foundations under the wings. The exterior walls are capped and accented by red bricks in a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

course. Two-story window bays are outlined in red brick soldiers, and bays are marked with decorative red brick arches. The building was divided into 14 hallways, each with a bath. A spa area was divided into men's and women's areas with soaking tubs and a steam sauna, using 127-degree water from the Big Spring. The hot water was piped in a loop under the Big Horn River to temper it for bathing. The Plaza was renovated in 1999 and remains a hotel. It was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1993.

References

External links

* at the National Park Service's NRHP database
Callaghan (Plaza) Apartments and Hotel
at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Hot Springs County, Wyoming Hotels in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Hot Springs County, Wyoming {{Wyoming-NRHP-stub