Gus Blass and
Max Heiman opened the Gus Blass Department store in 1871 near the riverboat
landing in Little Rock, AR. Over the next thirty years it would grow into
several store fronts along the riverfront. A fire would rip through the area
and damage the building where the store was located. The store would then move
to its new location in 1913.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The seven stories “skyscraper”
was designed by George R. Mann who was the most distinguished architects of the
early 20th Century. It would become the first department store in
the state with air conditioning and escalators. It was also the largest
department store in the state and was essential in the growth and development
of the retail industry in downtown Little Rock. In 1960 two Philander Smith
College students, Thomas B. Robinson and Frank James Lupper staged a sit in to
protest the segregation of the lunch counter.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;
&nbsp;The store’s main rival Pfeiffer’s
department store was located just blocks away. In the 1970s the company was
bought by William T. Dillard who would go on to create a chain of department
stores, that spot the southern part of the country, known as Dillard’s. Dillard
would also buy out Pfeiffer’s Department Store in 1963. The closing of the
store signaled an end to an era of&nbsp;
“downtown” shopping experiences in Little Rock, as shopping malls would
take over in the early 1980s. The building itself would be sold to a company
called FABCO and turned into offices and apartments. The building became a
National Historic Landmark in 1986. &nbsp;

National Register of Historic Places file

More Info

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.

Gus Blass Department Store

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. 

Downtown Little Rock Walking Tour - 8th Street to the Arkansas River

Walk about 27th

First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1828. The current church building is the congregation's fourth and it replaced the previous one that was located at 5th and Scott Streets. The congregation bought the property in 1914 and built a Sunday school here. Six years later, the congregation began building the church, which, as noted above, was completed in 1921. Arkansas architect John Parks Almand (1885-1969) designed the church. Almand designed many prominent buildings in the state, including the Hot Springs Medical Arts Building, which was the tallest building in the state for many years, and the nearby Little Rock Central High School, which became known around the country for being forced to desegregate in 1957.

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.

First Presbyterian Church

A prominent feature in the downtown area is the imposing façade of the Albert Pike Memorial Temple of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry. In spite of the size and monumental style of the building, few people in Little Rock, or elsewhere for that matter, know the full story behind this building. It was built in the early 1920s by Arkansas members of the Masonic Order for the commemoration of the life and works of Albert Pike, nineteenth-century resident of Little Rock and prominent figure in Arkansas history. A native of Boston who lived from 1809 to 1891, Albert Pike was a scholar and traveler who came to Little Rock in the early 1830s. Pike became a teacher, newspaper editor and owner, an attorney, a State Supreme Court reporter, and briefly a Confederate general. Most importantly, Pike founded Scottish Rite Masonry in the state in the late 1850s. Scholars of European history believe that modern Masonry has its roots in the European stone mason guilds of the Middle Ages. Pike’s Scottish Rite is likely rooted specifically in the Scottish stone mason guilds of the 1500s and 1600s, according to Scottish history professor David C. Stevenson in his two books, The First Freemasons: Scotland’s Early Lodges and their Members and The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland’s Century, 1590 – 1710. On the Register of Historic Places since 1986, the Pike Memorial Temple is a city block long, three stories high, and fronted by 19 Greek ionic columns. The temple was constructed in the early 1920s on the strength of member financial investment, following a series of other structures used by the Masonic community of Little Rock, which had been active since the mid-1800s. Throughout the twentieth century, the Temple saw intensive use by Masonic members for Masonic ritual and fellowship, with attendees numbering in the thousands for some functions. When the fates of the organization shifted in the early twenty-first century, the building was renamed the Albert Pike Masonic Center, parts of which are now open for public uses, such as conferences and weddings.

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.

Albert Pike Memorial Temple of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry

The Pfeiffer brothers opened their store
in 1912 after remodeling the building to convert the store into “one of the
most modern in the South.” One of the brothers actually traveled all over the
north and east studying other stores getting ideas on what to do. The brothers
combined their clothing and jewelry store and opened the store in 1912,
claiming to be Little Rock’s first department store, competing for that title
as well as customers with Gus Blass Department store. They wanted to create a
store with all the modern conveniences. The store was the first in the area to
be organized into departments. These new departments were Menswear, Children’s,
Women’s, household goods, etc. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
Pfeiffer family came from a long line of business owning families dating back
to the early 1800s. It seems as if every member of the family owned some sort
of business in the region. Throughout the 20th Century the store
would continue to grow and become successful. It would be bought in the 1960s
by William Dillard and absorbed into the Dillard franchise meeting the same
fate as its longtime rival, Gus Blass Department store. Today the building is
home to the Pfeiffer family’s only flagship store. It also remains as one of
four buildings that still stands from the early 1900s Main Street. It was made
a National Historic Landmark in 2000.

	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. 

Pfeiffer Brothers Department Store 

According to the Quapaw Quarter Association, the Altenberg House combines characteristics of the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles.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. 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 plans used by the earliest English and Dutch settlers of North America. With its rounded bay window area and asymmetrical façade, the Altenberg House demonstrates the Queen Anne Style. The Colonial Revival Style is reflected in the porch columns with their capitals styled in the Greek fashion so admired by early American builders.

Built in 1889, the Altenberg House sits at the corner of 10th and Cumberland Streets in the northeastern 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, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Craftsman Styles.

Altenberg House

The George R. Mann building is an excellent example of the Beaux-Arts style. It features many decorative elements including fluted Ionic columns, first-floor windows surrounded by egg and dart moulding, bay windows on the second floor, and an elaborate entablature with a frieze consisting of foliated designs and medallions, and cartouches running along the top.The building was a prestigious office location as a number of early tenants were prominent local professionals, including several doctors. The building was sold around 1912 and renamed the Urquhart Building. In the 1930s it was sold again and became the Adkins Building. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places 1983.

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.

George R. Mann Building

This home built in 1840 has housed notable Little Rock families, served as a women’s college, and accommodated a museum gallery. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is currently administered by&nbsp;the Arkansas Arts Center.The original structure of this home was built by Albert Pike, a local lawyer and prominent Freemason. Pike deeded the property to his daughter Lillian Pike, who in turn leased the building to Arkansas Female College in 1873. By 1876, the college had made a large addition to the building including a study hall and dormitory space. Lou Krause purchased the property in 1886, but the school moved to another facility in 1889, and Krause deeded the home John G. Fletcher. Fletcher, Krause’s brother-in-law, was a distinguished banker and cotton broker who occupied the house with his family. This included his wife, Adolphine Krause Fletcher, and his three children, Adolphine, John Gould, and Mary. The Fletcher family made several changes to the property including the removal of the additions constructed during its time as the Arkansas Female College, the removal of the original detached kitchen, and the addition of a conservatory.After her mother Adolphine Krause Fletcher’s death in 1910, Adolphine Fletcher married lawyer and local civic leader David Dickson Terry. They were married in the parlor of the house and continued to live there exclusively, with the exception of Terry’s time as a U.S. Congressman. The Terry family also made alterations to the property by removing additional out buildings, and adding a brick garage and screened porch. Changes were also made to architectural elements to reflect the Colonial Revival style, including the replacement of the main staircase.Adolphine Fletcher Terry continued to live in the family home with her five children during the ten years that David served as a congressman. She was influential in the community with regard to education and women’s rights. The Pike - Fletcher - Terry house served as the meeting place for the Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools, a civic group that supported the reopening of local schools following the Central High Desegregation Crisis of 1957. The names of women involved in the WEC were added to the conservatory's windows to commemorate their work. Near the end of her life, Adolphine decided to will the property to the City of Little Rock for use by the Arkansas Arts Center (AAC). Following Adolphine’s death, her sister Mary Drennan surrendered the property and it was renovated by AAC. It was opened to the public in 1985 as the Decorative Arts Museum, and in 2004 it became the Arkansas Arts Center Terry House Community Gallery. It was used to display local and regional art, and is currently&nbsp;an event rental space.

This home, built in 1840, has housed multiple notable Little Rock families, served as a women’s college, is now a museum gallery. The original structure of this home was built by Albert Pike, a local lawyer and prominent Freemason. It was later inhabited by the Fletcher-Terry family including influential community leader Adolphine Fletcher Terry. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and is currently administered by the Arkansas Arts Center.

Pike - Fletcher - Terry House

According to the Quapaw Quarter Association, the Pike-Terry-Fletcher House is designed in the Greek Revival Style. This style of architecture arose in the 1700s and 1800s in imitation of actual Greek temples from classical times. It features the use of prominent columns with distinctive capitals. The Pike-Terry-Fletcher House demonstrates the Greek Revival Style with its formal front porch fronted by six massive Greek-styled columns. Local historians think these columns were added some time after original construction.The Pike-Terry-Fletcher House was originally built in 1840 by prominent Arkansas figure Albert Pike. A native of Boston, Albert Pike traveled as a young man to the western U.S. territories, landing by mishap in Arkansas in the early 1830s. Bright and literate by nature, Pike became a newspaper editor, attorney, and reporter of the state Supreme Court. When he attained to some prosperity, he built the mansion for his wife and growing family. Then, when the Civil War broke out, he threw in his lot with the Confederacy, attaining a leadership position in the military. However, he argued with the Confederate leadership over treatment of Native Americans, and Pike ultimately resigned his commission. The Pike Mansion survived the occupation of Little Rock by Union forces, and was later purchased by banker and cotton broker John G. Fletcher. In the 1950s, the home was owned by the family of David D. Terry, U.S. Congressman. The Pike Mansion as the Pike-Terry Fletcher House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972.Albert Pike is an important figure for another reason as well. Internationally, he is recognized as a highly influential Masonic scholar. His literary and organizational work within Scottish Rite Freemasonry is commemorated in the Albert Pike Memorial Temple of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry on Scott Street in the downtown area of Little Rock's Quapaw Quarter.

The Pike-Terry-Fletcher House is located on East Seventh Street in the northeastern corner 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 Pike-Terry-Fletcher House represents the Colonial Revival Style within the Quapaw Quarter.

Pike-Fletcher-Terry House

The Arkansas Gazette newspaper was established
in 1819 before Arkansas even became a state, it was only a wilderness territory
at that time. William E. Woodruff founded the paper. He immediately brought up
to date printing press equipment and processes to the state that rivaled the
same qualities they were using in New York City. &nbsp;By 1936, Arkansas had become a state, which
had been heavily supported by the paper, and the city of Little Rock would have
a population of around 50, 000 people. At this time the paper had almost 2,000
subscribers and over $30,000 in advertising, which was quite a bit for this
time period and location. The ownership of the paper would change hands many
times throughout the years even be bought and sold twice by the original owner.
A rival newspaper called the Democrat was formed shortly after and a war
between the two papers would go on until 1991 when the Democrat would
eventually buy out the Gazette and they would form one paper. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
building itself housed the newspaper from the time it was built in 1908 by
prominent Arkansas citizen Peter Hotze. It is a grand three story building
located in downtown Little Rock’s business district. This building started the
re-organization and re-building of the area with goals on a successful future.
The building is most famous for being the home of the Arkansas Gazette, which
was called the “voice” of the state. The building is currently used as an
elementary and middle school.&nbsp;

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.	

Arkansas Gazette Building

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

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

Construction of Curran Hall began in 1842. The home was a wedding gift from Colonel Ebenezer Walter, a partner in “Picher and Walter, Merchants,” to his wife Mary Starbuck. Mary was the niece of Chester Ashley, one of the founders of the city of Little Rock. According to widely-accepted tradition, notable architect Gideon Shryrock designed the house.&nbsp;The home is a classic example of Greek Revival architecture seen in Shyrock’s designs throughout Little Rock, including the Old State House and Trapnall Hall. Mary never saw her gift through to completion, she passed in 1843.&nbsp; Her husband sold the home and moved out of state before ever occupying it. The original home took up five acres with subsidiary buildings.David J. Baldwin bought the section of land that contained the main home from Mr. Walter. The city was still young and most homeowners in the area were transplants from other parts of the country. Baldwin and his wife only lived in this “new brick dwelling” for a few years, and sold the home to James M. Curran in 1849. Curran established a law practice in Little Rock and married Sophia Fulton in June of 1849. When Curran died in 1854, his daughter, Alice, kept the home until 1881. The home was eventually sold to Mary Woodruff Bell, daughter of Arkansas Gazette founder William E. Woodruff, in 1884. The home remained in the family until 1997, when it was purchased after the Quapaw Quarter Association brought the importance of its preservation to the attention of the City of Little Rock. The home was purchased in 1997 with the intention of restoring it to become the Little Rock Visitor’s Center to those traveling along Interstate 30. Before the restoration, the home had been changed drastically; much of it did not resemble the original design. The front porch doric columnns were extended across the front facade of the house creating a large porch. The rear annex is a replication of the detached kitchen and guest quarters that was recreated from information acquired from oral interviews with descendants of the house. The home seen today is an effort to replicate as closely as possible, what would have been here in 1842, down to the reproduction of nineteenth century floor cloth in the entry. Curran Hall reopened as the Little Rock Visitor's Information Center in 2002.

In 1842 Curran Hall, also known as the Walters-Curran-Bell House, was built by Ebineezer Walters. In 1849, it was purchased by James Moore Curran, a young lawyer, for his wife, Sophie Fulton. The home belonged to the Woodruff family after that time and was passed down through generations until it was purchased by the City of Little Rock for rehabilitation in the 1990s. Curran Hall now serves as Little Rock's Visitor Information Center and the offices for the Quapaw Quarter Association. 

Curran Hall and Little Rock Visitor's Center

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

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center was founded as the Mosaic Templars of America Center for African American Cultural and Business Enterprise under Act 1176 of 2001. The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is dedicated to telling the history of African Americans living in Arkansas from 1870 to the present. The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center gathers and preserves African American business, political, and cultural history. The Center also tries to make the general public aware of the vast cultural and historical contributions African Americans have added to the state of Arkansas. According to its web site, it provides genealogical research assistance.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mosaictemplarscenter.com/Default.aspx?PageID=21955195&amp;A=SearchResult&amp;SearchID=7485292&amp;ObjectID=21955195&amp;ObjectType=1">http://www.mosaictemplarscenter.com/Default.aspx?PageID=21955195&amp;A=SearchResult&amp;SearchID=7485292&amp;Obj...</a> "The Bush – Remmel Genealogy Study Center provides access to Ancestry.com records to assist in your search to research family history. The Bush-Remmel Genealogy Study Center also allows patrons and scholars to conduct scholarly research using the library, databases, and research files of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. The current resource collection is comprised mainly of secondary source materials, subject files, and primary research file used by staff. The Study Center is available by appointment only so staff will be available to assist scholars." The Museum, named for the fraternal organization, Mosaic Templars of America, has six permanent exhibits, "A City Within A City," "Entrepreneurial Spirit," "A Building for the Community," "Brotherhood and the Bottom Line," "A Living History: Arkansas Black Hall of Fame," and "African Americans in Arkansas." Mosaic Templars Cultural Center also features temporary&nbsp;exhibits related to its mission and the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. The museum includes a gift shop that contains&nbsp;books and other items that relate to African American history in Arkansas and the United States. Tours are available and the museum rents its historic ballroom, located on the third floor. Founded in 1882 by two former slaves, John E. Bush and Chester W. Keats, The Mosaic Templars of America was a fraternal organization established to supply burial and life insurance African Americans in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center eventually included thousands of members in 26 states and 6 foreign countries. The burial insurance policy included a headstone; these marble markers were placed on graves in many states. The organization grew and included a hospital, a newspaper and a building and loan. The three building complex was situated at the corner of West Ninth Street and Broadway. By the end of the 1930s after going into receivership the company closed.

The mission of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is to collect, preserve, interpret, and celebrate Arkansas' African American History. The Center recognizes the contributions of African Americans to the history of Arkansas, particularly in the period after 1870.

Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

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

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

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

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.

Walk about 27th

Gus Blass Department Store

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information