Rendering Interiors of the Crescent Hotel of the 1930's

These images are preliminary drawings I made of interiors of the hotel as it was during the Baker years. A great deal of research is involved in faithfully representing this late nineteen thirties converted hospital. Because of the heinous events that took place between these two years, Baker saw to it that there was not much photographic documentation of the buildings interiors. However, through much persistence, I've been able to locate the necessary information and visual references from town historians, old newspapers, the library, historical society and the hotel itself to faithfully tell this very dark chapter of Arkansas history in a graphic novel format.

Documentary Graphic Novel In Development

Here are a few of Sean FItzgibbon's sample drawings and under paintings for this recent documentary style graphic novel. The book chronicles the Norman Baker years of the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. A great deal of research has gone into the production of this book.

The Crescent Hotel first opened its doors in 1886. The hotel closed due to financial difficulties. After reopening as a school and shutting down, it was purchased in 1937 by Dr. Norman Baker and opened as a cancer hospital and health resort.

Dr. Baker had the cure for cancer, but after a short time it became evident that only the new patients were seen walking the hospital grounds. Little did the patients know, their savior Dr. Norman Baker was not a doctor at all.

Though the Crescent Hotel is known to harbor ghosts of nurses pushing wheel chairs and sickly patients walking the halls at night, nothing in its 123-year history is more eerie and bizarre than the events that took place between the years 1938 and 1939.