First United Methodist Church was built in 1900 and is considered one of the finest examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in Little Rock. Interesting features include square towers, large rose windows, arched windows (some of which are quite tall), and granite trim. The congregation, which was established in 1831, is the oldest Methodist congregation in Little Rock. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
This Little Rock historical marker commemorates the life of Max Aronson, America's first cowboy movie star. Aronson was born at 713 Center Street, on March 21, 1880, to Esther and Harry Aronson, a Jewish dry goods salesman. Aronson took the stage name “Broncho Billy” and pioneered the role of a movie cowboy. He also helped create the Hollywood Western genre as an actor, cameraman, director, and producer. Aronson developed production techniques still in use today. He was awarded a special Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1958. The historic marker was erected in 2016 by First United Methodist Church, Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, and the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
Built in 1928, the former Little Rock Y.M.C.A. building is historically significant for its architecture and contribution to the city's religious and social-humanitarian development in the early 20th century. It now houses businesses. In terms of design, the building is an excellent example of Spanish Revival architecture. One of the state's leading architecture firms, Mann and Stern, designed it. It features a six-story tower with a stone arcade of closed arched windows, two large arched entrances on the first floor, another entrance on the first floor surrounded by decorative stonework including urns and a coat of arms, and pairs of arched windows that are also on the first floor. The "Y", as it was usually referred to, provided housing and a variety of social, fitness, educational, and religious programs and services for the community.
This monumental building is the historic Richard Sheppard Arnold U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. It was originally built in 1932 and an excellent example of the Greek Revival style. A modern addition is located on the east side of the old building. It is named after U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard S. Arnold (1936-2004), who was a friend of President Bill Clinton. The most notable features of the building include the two Greek pavilions that Doric fluted columns and pediments, decorative glyphs running along the frieze at the top of the exterior walls, and fluted pilasters (columns) separating the windows. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 and remains an important civic landmark in the city.
“The state’s largest free-standing facility dedicated to the study of Arkansas history and culture” is the Arkansas Studies Institute, created through the collaboration of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), which owns the ASI, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (“About”). Located in the city’s River Market District, the institute opened in 2009 and calls home 3 historical buildings, each from a different century. “Visitors can explore family history; browse the retail and exhibit galleries of Arkansas artwork, crafts, and gifts; enjoy a meal or cold drink; and view more than 100 photographic image panels depicting life in Arkansas from frontier days to modern times” (“ASI Building”). The Butler Center's and UALR’s CAHC collections include over 10 million documents and photographs, among them the papers of seven former Arkansas governors, including Bill Clinton. The Butler Center, the history department of CALS, is the home of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas (EOA), which gets more than 2 million visitors per year. The Butler Center has a popular monthly genealogy course as well as key research tools, according to its web site. https://www.butlercenter.org/genealogy/ It also offers yearly genealogy workshops like this 2018 one: https://www.butlercenter.org/conference/index.html
Constructed in 1931 in Little Rock Arkansas, Ray Winder Field, also known as Travelers Field, was the long-time home of the Little Rock Travelers, a minor league baseball team. For over seventy years, this was the team's home and host to other barnstorming teams. The Travelers have since moved to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock. The historic ballpark was demolished in 2011 and the site is now a parking lot for the medical sciences department of the university.
The Pulaski County Courthouse complex includes two distinct buildings built decades apart with vastly different architectural styles. The first building on West Markham Street was built in 1914 utilizing the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. The second building was the original courthouse which was completed in 1889 in a Romanesque Revival subtype style called Richardson Romanesque. This 19th-century structure holds the offices of many officials who work at the courthouse. Preservationists have worked to maintain the historic integrity of these structures which serve as fine representations of these two architectural styles. And while many county courthouses were lost to time, the original building was the first permanent courthouse in Pulaski County.
The Old Post Office Building and Customhouse is one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in Arkansas. Originally built in 1881, notable features include an exterior with a rough sandstone first floor and a smooth ashlar stone up on the upper floors, and a four-story central pavilion with arches containing decorative crests, urns, and foliated designs. Today, the building houses a U.S. Bankruptcy Court and an office of the U.S. Marshall Service. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The historic Old State House opened in 1836, serving as Arkansas's first state capitol building until 1911. It is now home to a state history museum. A National Historic Landmark, the Old State House is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Permanent exhibits in the museum include: Pillars of Power, exploring the history of the Old State House; Arkansas's First Families, featuring 30 Arkansas First Ladies' gowns; Grandmother's Cottage, and a hands-on children's exhibit; the Arkansas Wilderness gallery and the 1836 and 1885 House of Representatives chambers.
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Since its opening in 1877, the Capital Hotel has been one of Little Rock's leading landmarks and is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian architecture in the state. The architecture of this historic building is known for its elaborate, prefabricated cast-iron brick facade that is both decorative and functional as it helps to support the structure. The building features many decorative elements including a one-story portico with Corinthian columns at the main entrance, a porch on top of the portico covered by a canopy with decorative scrollwork, and arched windows separated by squared columns. The building was erected in 1872 and was originally a commercial building called the Denckla Block. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
This building is a staple in the downtown Little Rock history. It was home to the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. The newspaper and the building itself represent great historical importance that helped shape the city and region.
The Gus Blass Department Store building was home to one of Little Rock’s first department stores. Standing tall at seven stories it is considered to be Little Rock’s first skyscraper. The department store would close in the 1970s and the building would be turned into apartments and office space.
The Historic Arkansas Museum preserves and shares the history of the state's frontier period to the American Civil War. Visitors can tour five pre-Civil War houses which have been preserved and restored. These homes and other six galleries of displays share the history of life in Arkansas prior to the war. The museum also features a living history theater and exhibits related to the life of Jim Bowie and other famous Arkansas residents. Guided tours and historic reenactors portray original residents, providing a fun and educational experience for young and old.
This building was originally constructed to serve as the club for the local chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) Lodge 29, then later used by the Little Rock Women’s City Club, and is currently owned by the Little Rock Junior League. The BPOE Club was designed by prominent local architect Theo Sanders around 1908, with the structure completed around by 1912. Sanders designed the building in keeping with the twentieth-century Renaissance Revival style.
This elegant building was erected in 1906 and is historically significant for its architecture and association with architect George R. Mann, who designed it and housed his offices here until about 1912. Mann designed the Arkansas State Capitol and other buildings in the state. It is considered one of the finest commercial buildings in the city and is still an office building today.
The Beaux Arts commercial built at the turn of the century in 1899 is most famous due to its occupants, the Pfeiffer Brothers Department store. The brothers boasted that their store was the first full-fledged department store in all of Little Rock. The building stands at a mere three stories but is rich in commercial and retail history. It’s main rival, the Gus Blass Department Store, was located blocks away. The two stores would fight a retail turf war for much of the 20th Century.
An iconic structure of truly monumental proportions, the Albert Pike Memorial Temple of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry is located in the middle of Little Rock's historic Quapaw Quarter. The Quapaw Quarter is a section of Little Rock which comprises its oldest and most historic business and residential neighborhoods. The name Quapaw comes from a corruption or mispronunciation of a word for a Native American Tribe which originally inhabited the area where the city of Little Rock is now situated. This name was informally applied to the lands west of the original city of Little Rock in the nineteenth century. Then, in 1961 the name of Quapaw Quarter was more formally assigned. Now, the Quapaw Quarter is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles. The Albert Pike Memorial Temple is a striking example of Greek Revival architecture and brings to the historic quarter a solemnity and sense of ancient history. Directly across Scott Street from the Temple now sits the Albert Pike Hotel, originally constructed in the early 1900s to accommodate Masonic visitors to the Temple. With changes in Masonic membership and participation, the hotel was re-purposed to an affordable apartment house in the late twentieth century.
Erected in 1921, First Presbyterian Church is home to the oldest Presbyterian congregation in Arkansas. It is also significant for its striking English Gothic-inspired ecclesiastical architecture. The most impressive part of the church is the 8th Street side of the building, which features a deeply recessed arch surrounding an ornate stained glass window, two towers with battlemented parapets, and a decorative parapet above the recessed arch. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour begins and ends with two historic churches and includes numerous historic landmarks in between. From museums to former downtown department stores to historical markers, public buildings, and women's community institutions, this tour offers a view of Little Rock's history within a relatively short walk.
