Located at 315 Park Ave. not far from the historic Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs stands a building with quite the history of its own — The Vapors.
The Vapors was founded in 1960 by Dane Harris and notorious gangster Owen “Owney” Madden, who once owned another nightclub, the Cotton Club in New York City. In Hot Springs, the duo bought the Phillips’ Drive-In and tore down the dairy bar to build The Vapors, named after one of the several nicknames for Hot Springs, "The Valley of the Vapors."
The club featured Vegas-quality entertainment such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney and others. In fact, Bennett first performed his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” while practicing on The Vapors’ stage. According to his autobiography, Bennett sang the song once and was told by the only audience member, a bartender, “If you guys ever record that song, I’ll buy the first copy.”
In its later years, The Vapors hosted many other musicians and comedians such as Rick Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, Patti Page, and Jerry Van Dyke.
The club’s restaurant served first class cuisine and had a full bar. Dinner was served nightly on tables around the stage. A coffee shop open around the clock served not just coffee and food, but also as a place for gangsters and politicians to discuss “business.”
Arguably the most famous part of the club was its casino. Located in the back, the casino was somewhat small compared to others in the area. But it was filled with enough slot machines and tables to satisfy its patrons looking to strike it rich, as well as the owners — the ones actually getting rich.
In January 1963, an explosion went off at The Vapors, causing extensive damage to the building, especially the casino. Twelve people were injured, including two who were hospitalized. Authorities never proved who was behind the blast.
A photographer from the Arkansas Gazette snapped a picture of the damage to the casino, exposing its slot machines and tables. The photo ran on the paper’s front page the next day and confirmed what was the worst kept-secret in Arkansas — illegal gambling was alive and well in Hot Springs.
But it all came to an end in 1967 when Gov. Orval Faubus was defeated by Winthrop Rockefeller, who campaigned on a pledge to end gambling in the Spa City. Within six months of his inauguration, Rockefeller ordered the Arkansas State Police to destroy all slot machines and tables.
After the death of Harris in 1981 (Madden died in 1965), new ownership attempted to keep The Vapors afloat by turning it into a combination disco/honky-tonk. Those attempts proved futile and the club closed in the early 1990s.
In October 1998, the building was sold to Tower of Strength Ministries and used as a church (oh, the irony!). The building was once again sold in November 2013. A best-selling book based on the history of The Vapors by author David Hill was released in 2020.
Recently, the building reopened as an entertainment venue under the name “Vapors Live.” It features musicians, comedians and karaoke starting at 8 p.m. every Friday. There are remnants of the old club, including the iconic illuminated outdoor sign, the original bar and the stage where so many legends performed.
Several weeks ago, my wife and I went to the club for karaoke night. She sang a few songs while I sat in the audience, closing my eyes trying to picture what The Vapors was like in its heyday, and wishing its walls could tell me some stories.
A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their two beloved Boston Terriers. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.
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