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Artist's rendering of the 21c Museum Hotel currently under construction in Bentonville, Ark. The combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant. The museum will exhibit the work of living artists and will be open to the public at no charge. Image courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.

Construction begins on 21c Museum Hotel near Crystal Bridges

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Artist's rendering of the 21c Museum Hotel currently under construction in Bentonville, Ark. The combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant. The museum will exhibit the work of living artists and will be open to the public at no charge. Image courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.
Artist’s rendering of the 21c Museum Hotel currently under construction in Bentonville, Ark. The combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant. The museum will exhibit the work of living artists and will be open to the public at no charge. Image courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Operators of an upscale hotel have begun construction in Bentonville, where the property will complement the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Louisville, Ky.-based 21c Museum Hotels broke ground Tuesday at a site near the museum. The hotel is expected to open in about a year.

Crystal Bridges held its opening last month, showing off paintings and sculptures acquired by Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton, whose multi-billion-dollar fortune bankrolled the museum.

The hotel will have 104 rooms and a 125-seat restaurant. It will be decorated as a museum itself, featuring various artworks in its public areas.

The hotel will be a feature in the downtown arts corridor in downtown Bentonville, which is walking distance from Crystal Bridges.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Artist's rendering of the 21c Museum Hotel currently under construction in Bentonville, Ark. The combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant. The museum will exhibit the work of living artists and will be open to the public at no charge. Image courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.
Artist’s rendering of the 21c Museum Hotel currently under construction in Bentonville, Ark. The combination boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant. The museum will exhibit the work of living artists and will be open to the public at no charge. Image courtesy of 21c Museum Hotels.