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 it usage for various community functions.  Since 2006, members of Hostelling Arkansas, Inc. have worked with the city and community to raise funds to gut and renovate the fire station. As HI Little Rock Firehouse Hostel & Museum and it will house guests and hostellers from around the world and has a fire fighting museum to share within its walls.

HI Little Rock Firehouse Hostel & Museum now joins the Arkansas Arts Center and MacArthur Military Museum within MacArthur Park, which also hosts a community playground, bike polo courts, dog park, jogging trails and a pond. The park is highly utilized by the community and is located near Little Rock’s buzzing River Market and SOMA areas which have experienced a renaissance in recent years, making this a great location for both locals and visitors. There is a bus stop right outside the Hostel, and many other local attractions are located within a mile. 

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.