Esse Purse Museum and Store
(Photograph by Nancy Nolan; courtesy of the Esse Purse Museum)

Display at the Esse Purse Museum
(Photograph by Nancy Nolan; courtesy of the Esse Purse Museum)

Website

More Info

Little Rock’s Esse Purse Museum is the only purse museum in the United States and only one of the three in the entire world.  The museum displays “the evolution of the 20th-century American woman through the bags she carried and their contents” (“Home”).  The museum’s featured permanent exhibit is “A Century of Women’s Handbags (1900-1999)” that explores each decade’s history of handbags and the popular contents within them.  

Esse Purse Museum

This walking tour includes nearly two dozen landmarks in a relatively short walk as it moves through the area of Little Rock bounded by I-30, I-630, and Highway 708. Highlights of the tour include the Arkansas Governor's Mansion, a museum dedicated to the history of handbags, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and over a dozen historic homes.  

Quapaw Quarter and Downtown Little Rock Walking Tour

Peter Hotze was born in Innsbruck, Austria on October 12, 1836. His father, Wolfgang, died when he was young but his mother, Mary Sophia, inherited a large sum of money, which enabled her to send Hotze and his two brothers to the University of Innsbruck. Sadly, she died in 1856. Hotze and his brother Conrad immigrated to the United States at that time and Hotze made his way to Little Rock in 1857 (the third brother, Frederick, joined the Austrian army and rose to the rank of field marshal).There, he established a general merchandise business. Three years later, he joined a local military company called the Capital Guards, which became Company A of the 6th Arkansas Regiment in 1861 after the start of the Civil War. The company fought in a number of battles including at Shiloh, Chicamauga, and Murfreesboro. Hotze was wounded and captured in April 1864 at the Battle of Franklin and was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Ohio. He remained there until the war ended the next year.When Hotze returned to Little Rock, he formed a general merchandise business partnership with Company A's commander, John G. Fletcher. He married Johanne Krause in 1868 and the next year built his first house called the First Hotze House (which is located directly behind the house on Main Street and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places). They had three children; two daughters and one son. Hotze and Fletcher eventually focused on trading cotton, hoping to take advantage of the New York City market. One reason they chose to make this move was likely due to Hotze's reputation as a trustworthy businessman. He managed to pay back his creditors in the North with $5,000 in gold he had buried before the war (he instructed his brother, Conrad, to go to Little Rock and recover the gold). Hotze moved to New York City in 1873 and Fletcher remained in Little Rock. Fletcher bought the cotton and sent it to Hotze who then sold it. Hotze lived in New York City for 27 years, becoming one of the city's top cotton traders.The two partners terminated the business in 1900 and retired. Hotze moved back to Little Rock and built the house, where he lived with his son, Frederick, and his daughter Clara. He died on April 12, 1901. Frederick lived in the house until he died in 1972. It appears the house has remained a private residence ever since.

This elegant home is the historic Hotze House, which was built by Austrian immigrant Peter Hotze in 1900. Hotze was a prosperous cotton merchant and one of the state's most successful businessmen. In Little Rock, he contributed to the city's development and was active in local civic affairs. In terms of design, the house combines Georgian Revival and Beau-Arts architecture. It's most prominent feature is the round two-story portico with fluted Ionic columns. Other highlights include dormers on the roof, wooden railings above the portico and the roof with turned balusters, and a main entrance surrounded by a broken stone pediment and stone pilasters. The house appears to be a private residence. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Hotze House

The Bernice Garden is owned and founded by Anita Davis,
who “envisioned a gathering place to celebrate community, sustainability and
local artists. In a feminine approach to downtown revitalization, Davis worked
with a talented team to create a garden to support these goals”
(“History”).&nbsp; In 2006, Davis purchased
the garden’s property and opened the Bernice Garden in 2007.&nbsp;&nbsp;The main lot of property was previously home
to several prestigious Arkansas natives.&nbsp;
The Augustus-Garland-Mitchell House (1873) was home to governor and
senator Augustus Garland, who was the 1st Arkansas man to serve on a
President’s Cabinet.&nbsp; After Garland, the
home belonged to the Fletcher family and served as birthplace to poet and Pulitzer
Prize winner John Gould Fletcher.&nbsp; This
famous house was then home to Dr. Charles Brough, Arkansas’s 25th
governor.&nbsp; The property’s back lot was
once the Little Rock Inn, an old-fashioned drive-inn restaurant.&nbsp; Later on, the property was home to Captain
D’s fast food restaurant.&nbsp; After that
restaurant burned down, Davis also purchased that property.

Paying homage to Arkansas’s own artists, the Bernice Garden is a 100 x 150 ft garden that features sculptures by Arkansas artists, as well as a concrete patio that is “covered with a striking sustainable, lighted canopy that catches rainwater and funnels it into a cistern” (“Garden”).  

The garden reflects Arkansas’s nature and sustainability as the garden’s structural construction materials are made of recycled and reclaimed local wood and metal.  In addition, “The sculptures and other artworks are made from reusable, recycled and sustainable materials, and the canopy and cistern were designed with green materials and constructed to have a low environmental impact” (“Garden”).  The collected rainwater from the garden patio’s cistern "sustains the native plants, herbs, ornamental grasses, and annual and perennial flowers that flourish on the grounds" (“Garden”).

The Bernice Garden

Built in 1881, the Terry-Jung House is constructed in the Italianate Style. The Italianate Style is abundantly represented throughout Little Rock's Quapaw Quarter. Drawing from the architectural style of the Italian Renaissance, this style of architecture appeared in England in approximately 1802 and was then embellished during the late Regency and Victorian eras. The popularization of this style saw it spread throughout Europe and into the United States in the nineteenth century. Here it is seen in its nineteen-century Little Rock version. Now restored, the Terry-Jung House is located on Scott Street amongst many other historic properties. Across the street is a large repurposed loft building, originally a school. Farther down Scott are more sites of interest to tourists and enthusiasts of nineteenth-century architecture, including the stunning Villa Marre.


The Terry-Jung House is located on Scott Street on the eastern side 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles. The Terry-Jung House represents the Italianate Style.



Terry-Jung House

The Villa Marre was built by Italian immigrant Angelo Marre, a wealthy saloon owner and importer of liquor, in the Italianate style in 1881. A century and a quarter later, the exterior became internationally famous when it was used by television screen writers Harry and Linda Bloodworth Thomason as the front façade for the sit-com, Designing Women. Still admired today by tourists and enthusiasts of heritage, the Villa Marre is a tribute to classic European styling, redone in the American south. Throughout, the house shows the influence of the Italianate Style. According to Washington, D.C. architect Bruce Wentworth, “The Italianate style began in England as a reaction to the rigid formalism that had come to dominate nineteenth century architecture. The Italianate style derived from Italy’s rambling farmhouses, usually built of masonry with their characteristic square towers and informal detailing. By the 1830s, Italianate had spread to the United States, where architects began to transform the style into something truly American with only hints of its Italian origin. Thus, working in the Italianate style, architects had a higher degree of artistic freedom than they had in earlier, more rigid architectural styles.”Visibly an example, the Villa Marre features Italian styling, especially with the long rectangular window frames and the squared tower centered on the front façade. Another Italianate feature appears in the Villa Marre’s concrete stones or quoins placed in an alternating or stacked position, which exemplify both Italianate and Second Empire architectural styles. In Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter, Italianate Style is relatively well-represented, though Second Empire is not, making the Villa Marre a one-of-a-kind eclectic and historic gem in Little Rock. Inside, the Villa Marre boasts a sweeping walnut staircase, frescoes and murals, and ornate woodwork. Over the years, the Villa Marre has endured much change as neighborhood decline and urban renewal threatened its classic beauty. After passing through many hands of ownership, it is now once again owned privately. The Villa Marre has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970.

Located at the corner of 14th and Scott Streets, the Villa Marre is situated in the heart of Little Rock’s 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Villa Marre

According to the Quapaw Quarter Association, the Rozelle-Murphy House represents a fusion of styles: primarily American Queen Anne, but also including Colonial Revival and Craftsman additions. In the United States, the Queen Anne Style of architecture refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. Queen Anne Style runs from approximately 1880 to 1910 and refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, and wooden or slate roofs.Colonial Revival Style is based on the design of homes built by the earliest Dutch and English settlers of North America. This style attained great popularity in the late nineteenth century. Craftsman Style arose in the early twentieth century as a reaction to the complexity and embellishment of the Queen Anne Style. The Craftsman featured a simplied front façade, a porch with distinctive broad-based support columns, tiled roofs, and a more casual atmosphere. The Rozelle-Murphy House features the turret with conical roof and finial of the Queen Anne Style, the balcony and arched window of the Colonial Revival Style, and the square front-facing dormer of the Craftsman Style. It was built in in 1900 by George Rozelle and then later sold to Arkansas Attorney General George Murphy. Since 1953, the house has been used for business offices.

Located at the intersection of 13th and Scott Streets, the Rozelle-Murphy House sits at the heart of Little Rock’s 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Rozelle-Murphy House

EMOBA has been&nbsp;a&nbsp;non-profit organization under the federal 501(c)(3) ruling since 1993&nbsp;&nbsp;Its founder is Ernie Dodson whose birthplace is in Little Rock, Arkansas, and he is an&nbsp;alumni of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). The location of EMOBA was purchased in 1993, and the building is the old&nbsp;historic First Baptist Church of Little Rock. EMOBA sits on a half-acre lot, and it also&nbsp;consists of a total of three&nbsp;separate&nbsp;buildings&nbsp;(The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture, 2015).&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; In addition,&nbsp;EMOBA is located in downtown Little Rock, and it covers a total of&nbsp;three-quarters of a city block. Specifically EMOBA is located&nbsp;between the block of 12th&nbsp;and 13th&nbsp;streets and Louisiana, and it is right next to the historic Quapaw Quarter district. EMOBA has also been listed as a historical site in the&nbsp;National Register of Historic Places. Future plans for EMOBA is to renovate the site for a possible performing arts theater&nbsp;(The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture, 2015). &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; As of now, the operating season for EMOBA is from the month of February to Labor Day in the month of September. In addition to being a&nbsp;501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,&nbsp;EMOBA has also received financial contributions from other organizations such as&nbsp;New Futures for Youth, Inc who once gave them a grant for up to $10,000. Lastly,&nbsp;EMOBA serves as a somewhat multipurpose facility that hosts various company/business meetings, festivals,&nbsp;and even&nbsp;wedding events&nbsp;(The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &amp; Culture, 2015).&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Ernie's Museum of Black Arkansans (EMOBA), was opened in 1993, in Little Rock, Arkansas. This museum exists to preserve the African American cultural heritage in the state of Arkansas. Although there are other African American museums, however, this museum is unique in that it exhibits specifically the contributions of African American Arkansans. This museum has a goal to assist the community and schools with the education process about African Americans. This museum also intends to start a performing arts theater which will be dedicated to training African Americans in the arts.  

Ernie's Museum of Black Arkansans (EMOBA)

Founded through the generous donation of land by Chester Ashley (1791–1848) and Roswell Beebe (1795–1856) in 1843, Mount Holly Cemetery has&nbsp;grown to become the&nbsp;resting place of many of the most influential Arkansas residents. There are&nbsp;eleven Arkansas Governors, four United States Senators, thirteen Arkansas Supreme Court Justices, and twenty-one mayors of Little Rock interred here. There are also a number of&nbsp;military leaders and soldiers including Confederate generals such as Thomas James Churchill (1824–1905), who later became Governor of Arkansas. There are&nbsp; individuals with contributions in the fields of literature and such as Pulitzer Prize in poetry winner John Gould Fletcher (1886–1950) and Sandford C. "Sandy" Faulkner (1803?–1874), who is credited with development of the “Arkansas Traveler” story. In the area of journalism, Mount Holly contains the resting place of Arkansas Gazette founder William Edward Woodruff (1795–1885) and it’s the editor John Netherland Heiskell (1872–1972). In the field of architecture , the cemetery hosts George Richard Mann (1856–1939), who designed the Arkansas State Capital building, and Charles Louis Thompson (1868–1959). whose firm designed more than two thousand buildings including the community mausoleum at Mount Holly.&nbsp;The cemetery&nbsp;serves as the repository for the remains of David Owen Dodd (1846–1864), who was known as the martyred boy of the Confederacy, and Elizabeth "Quatie" Brown Henley (1791-1839), the wife of Principle Chief John Ross who died on her way towards present day Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.&nbsp;Reflecting the&nbsp;years when race and religion led&nbsp;many Arkansas residents to live separate lives, the cemetery maintained separate sections for&nbsp;African Americans as well as areas where Catholic and Jewish residents were buried.&nbsp;The mortuary architecture of Mount Holly and landscaping that reflects a Victorian elegance. The narrow lanes are, which are marked with handcrafted signs, are lined varieties of old roses, mature trees, and other flowers. The tombstones, obelisks, crypts, and other mortuary structure represents a wide diversity of style and motifs from Classical,and Victorian to Art Deco and Modern with iconographic motifs and epitaphs that span the range from the sorrowful to the strange. The grounds also include a wide collection of cemetery furniture including cast iron&nbsp; and ornate iron pieces. A large cast iron fountain, which was designed by J. L. Mott Company of Bronx, New York, has been at the cemetery since 2002 and is placed near the&nbsp; columnbarium was completed in 2003.Mount Holly was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1970. As part of its sesquicentennial anniversary in 1993, the cemetery published Jubilee, an illustrated guide to the cemetery's history as well as a burial index of covering the past century-and-a-half.&nbsp;

This cemetery originally served the Quapaw Quarter of the city of Little Rock, but, over time, Mount Holly Cemetery became the resting place for numerous families from the state's territorial past to the modern era. Some refer to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abby of Arkansas" owing to the number of influential people who are buried here which include many governors, United States Senators, Arkansas Supreme Court Justices, mayors of Little Rock, influential artists, and veterans are buried here. Under the guidance of the Mount Holly Cemetery Association, Mount Holly host numerous events throughout the year such as a monthly lecture series involving the Arkansas Master Gardener program sponsored by the University of Arkansas system, an annual spring picnic, guided tours, and the popular "Tales of the Crypt" student project

Mount Holly Cemetery

Mount Holly is a long-time fixture of the Quapaw Quarter and downtown Little Rock. It was founded in 1843, when prominent Little Rock businessmen Roswell Beebe and Chester Ashley deeded four blocks to the young city of Little Rock for use as a cemetery. Before then, the dead were buried in private family cemeteries or in a small cemetery where the Federal Building now stands on Capitol Avenue and Gaines Street. Since that time, the city has grown dramatically, changing the old landscape which allowed for the previous methods of informal burial. Today, the remains of several hundred persons rest at Mount Holly Cemetery. The people buried here are, as the website for the cemetery states, a microcosm of American history. Here are found military veterans of every American conflict from the American Revolution to the Gulf War. Further, the cemetery is the resting spot of people of all races and walks of life. For example, there are leading civic figures and also <a style="color:hsl(51, 48%, 13%);background-color:transparent;" href="https://honors.uca.edu/wiki/index.php/Quatie" target="_blank">Quatie</a>, or Elizabeth Ross, the wife of Cherokee chief John Ross, who died en route to Indian Territory in 1839 as she traveled the Trail of Tears. Quatie was first buried at the Capitol Avenue cemetery; her remains, along with those of a number of others, were reinterred at Mount Holly later, in the Albert Pike family plot. As are so many of the landmarks of the Quapaw Quarter, Mount Holly Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, to which it was added in 1970.

Founded in 1843, Mount Holly Cemetery is the resting place of many influential residents of Arkansas. Its most distinctive characteristic is its profusion of elegant, dignified statuary. An inspiring atmosphere, Mount Holly draws visitors and photographers year 'round for its profound beauty. Tall obelisks, towering angels, mausoleums, and impeccable gardening create a deeply felt tribute to those who have passed on. Time and eternity seem to hang in the air here, providing deep food for thought for all who stop by to pause and feel the passage of history.

Mount Holly Cemetery is a cultural treasure situated on historic Broadway in Little Rock's 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

The Second Sarlo Cottage is a small residential structure designed in the Queen Anne Style with a Colonial Revival porch. The present porch is likely a later addition, for the foundation footprint indicates that a different porch was originally installed. The original structure was built in 1895 by a saloonkeeper named Joseph Sarlo. At the same time Sarlo built this cottage for his own use, he also constructed houses on either side as rental properties, which fact explains the name as the second of a series. The wrought iron fence surrounding the property appears to be from the same period as the construction of the house, imbuing the entire property with an 1890s charm which is hypnotic for lovers of Victorian era romance.

The Second Sarlo Cottage sits on Spring Street in the southwestern corner 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles. 

The Second Sarlo Cottage

Dibrell House is a prominent and distinctive feature on the scene of the Quapaw Quarter. Built in 1992 by real estate agent H.A. Bowman and then sold to Dr. and Mrs. James A. Dibrell, this intriguing structure is designed in the Queen Anne Style. In the United States, the Queen Anne Style of architecture refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and which avoid the features of English Gothic. The period of the Queen Anne Style runs from approximately 1880 to 1910 and refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, bay windows, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, and wooden or slate roofs. As the picture shows, Dibrell House demonstrates these characteristics in the form of turrets, bay windows, and gables.

The Dibrell House perches on a high lot at 14th and Spring Streets in the southwestern corner 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

The Dibrell House represents the Queen Anne Style.

Dibrell House

The architectural design of the Dunklin House uses a mixture of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival features. The Queen Anne Style in the United States comprises a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. Queen Anne Style runs from approximately 1880 to 1910 and refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, and wooden or slate roofs.The Colonial Revival Style derives from late nineteenth century American interest in the design of homes built by the earliest Dutch and English settlers in North America.  Dunklin House demonstrates both the Queen Anne and the Colonial Revival Styles. It evidences the Queen Anne Style with its rounded corner turrets and bay windows, curved wrap-around porch, asymmetrical façade, and elaborate decorative flourishes. It represents the Colonial Revival Style with its rectangular footprint, palladian windows, and classical columns.

Built in 1896 for railroad conductor William J. Dunklin, the Dunklin House is located on Spring Street in the heart of Little Rock’s 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Dunklin House

Strasser Cottage is a small frame residence either constructed or re-modeled in the Queen Anne Style. In the United States, the Queen Anne Style of architecture refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. Queen Anne Style runs from approximately 1880 to 1910 and refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, and wooden or slate roofs. Strasser Cottage is a simplified version of Queen Anne, demonstrating the dominant front-facing gable, asymmetrical façade, and turret-styled or bay window.Built in 1882, the house was first used by a late nineteenth-century Little Rock organization known as the Ladies Building Association. Little is known about this group, but the name suggests that in the late 1800s, women of early Little Rock took an active interest in architecture and construction.  Today the Strasser Cottage retains its original charm, with a cheerful yellow painted exterior. With its location near the historic Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Strasser Cottage sits amongst palpable heritage. It's a short pleasant walk from here to other captivating venues.

Built in 1882, the Strasser Cottage on Spring Street sits near the heart of Little Rock’s 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Strasser Cottage

According to the records of the Quapaw Quarter Association, in the mid-1890s a man named Patrick Crawford purchased at this location a house which had originally been built by William Allison. It’s unclear if Crawford then greatly remodeled a house already situated on the property or demolished the original structure, replacing it with the existing Queen Anne style house. In the United States, the Queen Anne Style of architecture refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. Queen Anne Style runs from approximately 1880 to 1910 and refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, and wooden or slate roofs.At any rate, the Allison-Crawford House today clearly demonstrates the Queen Anne Style with its front-facing gabled roof, asymmetrical facade, delicate columns, and ornate decorative embellishments.

Originally constructed in 1890 and located on Spring Street, the Allison-Crawford House sits near the heart of the Quapaw Quarter, 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Allison-Crawford House

Constructed during the period 1884 - 1892, the main sanctuary of the Cathedral was designed in the Gothic Revival Style frequently used in English rural churches of the nineteenth century. At the time, the Cathedral was very much an architectural statement which proclaimed the linkage of the American Episcopal Church with the English Anglican tradition. Today, the Cathedral is part of Little Rock's vibrant downtown Quapaw Quarter, only a block away from the Governor's Mansion and not far from the busy streets of commercial Little Rock. However, when it was originally constructed, the Cathedral sat amongst fields and country cottages. Now it nestles amongst historic houses, many of which were constructed around the same time as the Cathedral, creating an historic ambience which encompasses several blocks.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is a featured landmark of the downtown Quapaw Quarter in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is situated on a full city block bordered by 17th on the south, Spring on the west, 16th on the north, and Center on the east. Pictured here are several views of the building and grounds. Images include the interior, courtyard fountain, courtyard burial area called a columbarium, and the main entry on the southwest corner. The main sanctuary was built in the late 1880s and early 1890s in the English Gothic Revival Style. It features natural wood flooring, high ceiling arches, a world-class pipe organ, and authentic stained glass windows from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

The Rogers House was built in 1914 in a combination of Craftsman, Foursquare, and Colonial Revival Styles. The Craftsman and Foursquare Styles are twentieth-century reactions to the complexity and embellishment of the eighteenth-century Victorian and Queen Anne Styles. The more historic Colonial Revival Style is embodied in American homes built from 1880 to 1950 and which reflect a renewed interest in the earliest North American houses built by English and Dutch settlers. The Rogers House demonstrates the Craftsman Style in details such as the tile roof, exposed rafter ends, and decorative braces under the eaves of the gabled dormers. At the same time, it features elements of Colonial Revival Style, such as the classical portico and balustrades beneath the second-story windows.

Located just a block east of Broadway on 18th Street, the Rogers House sits near the heart of Little Rock’s 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Rogers House

In 1944, the Arkansas Federation of Women’s Clubs began to campaign
for funds for a permanent residence for the state’s governor.&nbsp; Their first legislative attempt failed, but
in 1947, their second was successful in getting a Governor’s Mansion Commission
of $100,000.&nbsp; Construction began in 1947
and officially opened on January 10, 1950 with a well long public open house.&nbsp;

The Arkansas Governor’s Mansion has been home to Arkansas’s governors since 1950.  Designed by Cromwell Architects of Little Rock, this 3 story, Georgian-Colonial style home sits on 8.5 acres with a brick walkway that connects the main house to the East and West wings.  The home is complete with a formal living room, a state dining room, a library, a grand foyer, an atrium, a lower atrium, and a grand hall.

Arkansas Governor's Mansion

Well-known Arkansas architect Frank Gibbs designed the Prather House for homeowners John and Grace Prther in his signature Queen Anne Style. In the United States, Queen Anne Style refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. The Queen Anne Style dominated design from approximately 1880 to 1910, during which time frame the Prather House was designed and built. The Queen Anne Style includes architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, multi-textured exterior skins, and wooden or slate roofs. The Prather House demonstrates the Queen Anne Style through its asymmetrical front face, gabled roof line, and windows with leaded glass decorative panels.

Originally constructed in 1890, the Prather House is located on Gaines Street in the southwestern quadrant of Little Rock’s 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Prather House

Kavanaugh House is distinctive in that it combines two architectural styles. The exterior expresses both the symmetry of the Colonial Revival Style, as embodied in the symmetrical porch and second floor balcony, and the asymmetry of the Queen Anne Style, as expressed in the division between the differing right and left sides. The inside of the house is modeled on an asymmetrical Queen Anne floor plan, while integrating the decorative embellishments of the Colonial Revival Style. Queen Anne Style in the United States refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. The Queen Anne Style dominated design from approximately 1880 to 1910, during which time frame the Kavanaugh House was designed and built. The Queen Anne Style includes architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, multi-textured exterior skins, and wooden or slate roofs. The Kavanaugh House typifies this style with its evident balcony, asymmetrical front face, and leaded glass windows. Colonial Revival Style is embodied in homes built from 1880 to 1950 which reflect a renewed interest in the earliest North American houses built by English and Dutch settlers. Colonial Revival architectural style includes gabled, hipped, and gambrel roof types. The dramatically-gabled roof of the Kavanaugh House embodies the Colonial Revival form.Kavanaugh House is further distinguished by the fact that its first owner led the early twentieth-century development of the city of Little Rock in several ways. Kavanaugh was a newspaperman, a promoter of steam heating, a builder of roads, a sheriff, and a judge. Little Rock’s picturesque Kavanaugh Boulevard is named after him for his efforts in initiating the development of the Pulaski Heights area of what was the far western edge of the city in his day

Built in 1898 – 1899 for Judge William Marmaduke Kavanaugh, this intriguing structure  is located on Arch Street in the southwest corner of the 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Colonial Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Kavanaugh House

Designed by the nationally-noted Little Rock architect Frank Gibb, Gibb House conforms to the Queen Anne Style. In the United States, the Queen Anne Style of architecture refers to a wide range of picturesque buildings which borrow freely from the architectural features of the Italian Renaissance and avoid the features of English Gothic. The Queen Anne Style dominated design from approximately 1880 to 1910; it refers to architecture, decorative arts, and furniture. In architecture, the Queen Anne Style incorporates distinctive gables and turrets, asymmetrical facades, dominant front-facing gables which are often cantilevered out beyond the supporting wall, pedimented porches, balconies, overhanging eaves, leaded glass, dentils, balustrades, columns, multi-textured exterior skins, and wooden or slate roofs. Gibb House demonstrates the asymmetrical façade, multi-textured exterior, and embellishment typical of this style.

Built in 1890, Gibb House sits on Arch Street in the southwestern corner of the 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 land 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, it is a well-loved and treasured historic district featuring constructions of the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Gibb House

The Marshall House was designed by noted Arkansas architect Charles L. Thompson and originally constructed for attorney Joseph C. Marshall in 1908. In 1982, the Marshall House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its architectural significance. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Nomination Form for the National Register of Historic Places, the Marshall House represents the Georgian Revival Style.Georgian Revival Style is the resurrection of the dominant architectural style used in the English colonies during the period 1700 - 1780. The original Georgian Style of the 1700s featured a rigid symmetry, clapboard or wooden cladding, decorative pediments over windows, a hipped roof, and formal embellished entrances. As can be seen in the photograph above, the 1908 Marshall House brought these flourishes back to life in the early twentieth-century American South with its double front doors surmounted by decorative arches and its staid, four-columned porch. In addition, the Marshall House features a hipped gray slate roof with exposed rafters, monumental fluted Roman Doric-like columns, an embellished frieze, modillions lining the cornice, a raking cornice on the pediment, tracery around the doors, arcs crowned with dentil molding, elliptical arches with keystones, and front doors flanked by pilasters topped with Corinthian capitals.

Built in 1908, Marshall House is located on Arch Street in the southwestern corner of the 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 land 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 in the Victorian, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Marshall House

The Joseph Taylor Robinson house was once home to an AR state Governor and senate member Joseph Taylor Robinson. Robinson who was an influential politician from 1895-1937 lived in the home until his death. The house would be owned by the Robinson Family until the early 1970s. 	This two and a half story house which is composed of a wooden frame and consists of a total four chimneys rests on a brick and granite foundation. The main facade of the house features a full length porch and is supported by three square granite columns. The interior of the house can be described as “wealth of high quality”  in both the woodwork and layout. Connecting the living room and dining room is two large sliding doors made from buried pine, a definite expense given the time period. The entry columns in the main room were said to be constructed from tree trucks. The property also has a carriage house which was constructed with the same material as the house. This home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. 	Born in Lonoke County on August 26th 1872, Joseph Taylor Robinson attended the University of Fayetteville and the law department of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. Becoming a lawyer in 1895 he began his practice in Lonoke County. Some of his major achievements include becoming a state general in 1895 at the young age of 22. This made him the youngest member to become elected. Robinson became the Governor of Arkansas for just a few short months in 1913 before becoming a member of the United states Senate. In 1900 Robinson was the first Arkansan to be placed on a major party ticket when he was nominated for the vice presidency on the democratic side. During his time in the senate he worked next to President Woodrow Wilson and progressed towards ending child labor law, wartime measures, as well as the declaration of war with Germany in 1917. Serving next to some of the most memorable presidents in history, Robinson once held a private luncheon with President Roosevelt in his home. 	Giving not only an accurate representation of the architectural style of some of the most prestien homes during this period, the history that accompanies the home is just as rich. Joseph Taylor Robinson made many efforts to help America progress in some of the most difficult times, this piece of history allows for guests to step back in time to see the home of one of the most notable politicians in Arkansas.

Once the home of the most notable politicians from Arkansas, this dwelling features architectural styles from the Colonial time period. Nominated for the National Register for Historic Places in 1975 this stunning structure served as the meeting place for high ranking officials such as presidents and other senate members. The Joseph Robinson Taylor House offers an insight into the life of the first Arkansas to be nominated on a major party ticket for vice president. A high ranking member of the Senate Joseph Taylor spent his life advocating for a better America in some of the darkest of times. 



The Joseph Taylor Robinson House 

James H. Hornibrook was born on July 8, 1840 in Toronto to English parents who had immigrated to Canada. It appears he remained in Canada until after the Civil War when he moved to Little Rock where he and a partner, Miles Q. Townsend, opened a saloon. He and Townsend remained partners until Townsend died in early 1890. It took seven years for Hornibrook the build the house. However, after returning from a party on May 24, 1890, he died of stroke on the front steps of the mansion. He was survived by his wife, Margaret, and four children (sadly, Margaret died in 1892). Although Hornibrook was a prominent businessman in Little Rock, the mansion remains his most important legacy. The mansion became the location of the first women's college in the state, Arkansas Women's College, in 1897. How long the college remained here is unclear, but the house was vacant between the Great Depression and most of the 1940s. It became a nursing home 1948 and was later converted back into a private home. At some point it became apartments as well. After a period of restoration, it opened as The Empress in 1994.

Now a bed and breakfast inn known as The Empress of Little Rock, the Hornibrook Mansion is considered one of the best examples of Victorian architecture in Arkansas. It is named after its builder and first owner James H. Hornibrook, who was a successful saloon owner. The mansion, which was built in 1888, features many bays and multiple roof levels, a three and one-half story corner tower, a wraparound porch on the first floor, and decorative woodwork. The first two floors of the tower are circular but the third floor is octagonal in shape. Atop the tower is a pyramidal roof with small dormers topped by small pyramidal roofs. The windows on the upper floor of the tower contain grids of stained glass. The interior of the mansion features a grand staircase, ornate fireplaces, and decorative woodwork throughout. The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture.

Quapaw Quarter and Downtown Little Rock Walking Tour

Esse Purse Museum

Introduction

Images

Sources

Additional Information