The South Main Street Commercial Historic District of Little Rock, Arkansas is a historic district encompassing a five-block stretch of South Main Street, just south of the city's downtown area. Developed between about 1905 and 1950, the section of South Main between 12th and 17th streets represents an architectural cross-section of the commercial development that took place in the city during that time. Early buildings, such as the 1905 Lincoln Building, were Classical Revival in style, while generational changes in style are exemplified by the presence of Craftsman and Art Deco buildings. One residential building, the First Hotze House, predates the area's commercial development, and stands as a reminder of its residential past.
The Rose Building is a historic commercial building at 307 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was built in 1900 from the plans of George R. Mann, and is named for Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice U. M. Rose. It is a prominent local example of commercial Classical Revival architecture. The building was built originally as an office property and by the early to mid twentieth century housed retail when the city's Main Street was the major shopping district. Rose purchased three lots on the Peyton Block of Main Street by 1880. Judge Rose built two preexisting Rose Buildings, both destroyed by fire on the current location. The existing structure is a 1916 incarnation of the Rose Building built by Rose's son. It is vastly different from the previous two structures. The two-story structure now displays a symmetrically massed Neoclassical façade, designed by George R. Mann. Mann was the architect who designed the existing Arkansas State Capitol and the Mann on Main mentioned above. It was later home to retail users in the mid twentieth century, two long term tenants were Allsopp-Chappell, a local bookstore, and Moses Melody shop. It had a myriad of occupants by the later part of the century, one being Gold's House of Fashions, in which the structure underwent a renovation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Argenta Historic District encompasses significant historic elements of central North Little Rock, Arkansas. The area that is now central North Little Rock was known as Argenta when it was first settled, and remained unincorporated until it was annexed to Little Rock in 1890. William Faucette, a leading Argenta politician and businessman, orchestrated the incorporation of North Little Rock just beyond the annexed area in 1901, and then made a successful petition to separate Argenta from Little Rock into the new municipality in 1903. Subsequent attempts to rename North Little Rock to Argenta have failed.
George Richard Mann was an American architect, trained at MIT, whose designs included the Arkansas State Capitol. He was the leading architect in Arkansas from 1900 until 1930, and his designs were among the finalists in competitions for the capitols of several other states.
John Parks Almand was an American architect who practiced in Arkansas from 1912 to 1962. Among other works, he designed the Art Deco Hot Springs Medical Arts Building, which was the tallest building in Arkansas from 1930 to 1958. Several of his works, including the Medical Arts Building and Little Rock Central High School, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lake Village Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial heart of Lake Village, Arkansas, the county seat of Chicot County in the Mississippi River delta region of southeastern Arkansas. The district covers about six square blocks of downtown Lake Village, bounded roughly by Jackson Street to the north, Lakeshore Drive to the east, Church Street to the south, and Chicot Street to the west. This area represents the growth of Lake Village during its period of greatest prosperity, between 1906 and 1960. The city's growth was spurred by the arrival of the railroad in 1903, and most of the district's buildings were built between 1900 and 1930. Most of the buildings are vernacular commercial buildings; the John Tushek Building at 202 Main Street is one interesting example of Beaux Arts styling, and 218–222 Main Street has some Italianate styling. The district includes the Lake Village Confederate Monument, which has been a local landmark since 1910.
The Fordyce Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic heart of Fordyce, Arkansas, the county seat of Dallas County. It encompasses four city blocks of North Main Street, between 1st and 4th, and includes properties on these adjacent streets. Fordyce was founded in 1882, and the oldest building in the district, the Nutt-Trussell Building at 202 North Main Street, was built c. 1884. Spurred by the logging industry and the Cotton Belt Railroad, Fordyce's downtown area had 25 buildings by 1901, and continued to grow over the next few decades, resulting in a concentration of period commercial architecture in its downtown. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The Ashdown Commercial Historic District encompasses part of the historic commercial heart of Ashdown, the county seat of Little River County, Arkansas. This area was developed primarily between 1905 and 1945, and represents the city's growth during that time as a cotton and lumber center. It covers a roughly two-block area bounded on the west by an alley west of East Main Street, on the north by Keller Street, on the east by Whitaker Street, and on the south by North Constitution Street. Prominent early buildings in the district include the R. M. Price Building, a large two-story brick building built 1905, the 1915 Dixie Theater, and the 1905 Little River News building at 45A E. Main Street. Stylistically distinctive is the 1947 Williams Theater at 360 Keller Street, which is the only Art Deco building in the area.
The Walnut Ridge Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, the county seat of Lawrence County. The district includes a four-block stretch of Main Street on the northwest side of the railroad tracks, and extends for one and sometimes two blocks on either side. Walnut Ridge was founded as a railroad town in 1875, and soon became a leading economic center in the county. Most of its historic downtown consists of vernacular commercial architecture dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built of masonry and brick, and one or two stories in height. Notable buildings include the 1924 Swan Theatre at 222 West Main Street, the 1935 Old Walnut Ridge Post Office at 225 West Main, and the 1965 Lawrence County Courthouse at 315 West Main, which replaced a c. 1900 structure.
The McCrory Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of the city of McCrory, Arkansas. This area is located along Edmonds Street, the city's main north–south thoroughfare. The district includes 26 historically significant buildings in a 2-1/2 block area north of the railroad tracks, including a few buildings facing adjacent streets. McCrory was founded in 1890, and much of its early commercial building stock was wood-frame. Beginning about 1900 use of brick and stone in construction grew, and after a major fire in 1909 most of the buildings were built in brick. The area achieved most of its present appearance by about 1930. Most of the buildings are a single story in height, with a few that are two.
The Capitol–Main Historic District encompasses a well-preserved area of early 19th-century commercial architecture in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. The district includes 2-1/2 blocks of Capitol Street, extending east from Center Street, one block of Main Street south of Capitol, and one block of 6th Street west of Main. The buildings in this area were mostly built before World War II, and are of a more modest scale than modern sections of the downtown. Notable buildings include the LaFayette Hotel and the Pfeifer Brothers Department Store.
The East Markham Street Historic District encompasses a cluster of four architecturally distinctive commercial buildings on the south side of the 300 block of East Markham Street in the riverfront area of Little Rock, Arkansas. All four are brick two-story buildings, and were built between 1876 and 1905. The buildings at 305-307 and 313 E. Markham are Italianate in style, while 301-303 exhibits Craftsman styling due to a renovation overseen by Charles L. Thompson in 1916, and 323 was also restyled by Thompson in 1905.
The Fulk Building is a historic commercial building at 300 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is a three-story brick Romanesque Revival building, with commercial storefronts on the ground floor, and two-story round-arch bays on the upper levels. Built about 1900 for attorney and landowner Francis Fulk, it typifies buildings that lined Main Street around the turn of the 20th century, and is one of its better examples of Romanesque architecture.
The MacArthur Park Historic District encompasses a remarkably well-preserved collection of Victorian buildings in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas. The main focal point of the district is MacArthur Park, site of the Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal and Little Rock's 19th-century military arsenal. The district extends north and west from the park for about four blocks, to East Capitol Avenue in the north and Scott Street to the west, and extends south, beyond Interstate 630, to East 17th Street. This area contains some of the city's finest surviving antebellum and late Victorian architecture, including an particularly large number (19) of Second Empire houses, and achieved its present form roughly by the 1880s. The MacArthur Park Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
The Lonoke Downtown Historic District encompasses a portion of the central business district of Lonoke, Arkansas. It extends south along Center Street, from the Lonoke County Courthouse to Front Street, and then one block east and west on both sides of Front Street. It extends eastward on the south side of Front Street another 1-1/2 blocks. Lonoke was founded as a railroad community in 1862, and this area represents the core of its downtown area for the period 1900–1945. Most of the district's 23 buildings are commercial structures, one to two stories in height, with brick facades.
The South Main Street Apartments Historic District encompasses a pair of identical Colonial Revival apartment houses at 2209 and 2213 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. Both are two-story four-unit buildings, finished in a brick veneer and topped by a dormered hip roof. They were built in 1941, and are among the first buildings in the city to be built with funding assistance from the Federal Housing Administration. They were designed by the Little Rock firm of Bruggeman, Swaim & Allen.
The South Main Street Residential Historic District encompasses a residential area south of downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. The area, extending along South Main Street roughly between 19th and 23rd Streets, was developed between about 1880 and 1945, and includes a well-preserved set of residential architecture from that period. Notable buildings include the Luxor Apartments, the Holcomb Court Apartments, and the Ada Thompson Memorial Home.
The South Scott Street Historic District encompasses a small portion of a residential area south of downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. It includes the 2400 block of South Scott Street, and one block of 24th Street just to its west. Developed between about 1890 and 1950, this area has one of the city's best-preserved concentrations of modest middle-class residences from that period. It includes fourteen buildings, ranging stylistically from the Queen Anne to the post-World War II vernacular.
The West 7th Street Historic District encompasses a collection of early 20th-century commercial buildings on the 800-1100 blocks of West 7th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas. The thirteen buildings of the district were built between 1906 and 1951, and are mainly one and two-story masonry buildings with vernacular or modest commercial Italianate style. The Clok Building at 1001 W. 7th, built in 1915, notably has an elaborate concrete facade.
The Booneville Commercial Historic District encompasses the early 20th-century commercial heart of Booneville, Arkansas. Located on the east side of the 100 and 200 blocks of North Broadway Avenue are line with commercial buildings, most of which were built between about 1900 and 1920. The city had originally been located south of this location, but was relocated beginning in 1899 due to the arrival of the railroad joining Little Rock, Arkansas and McAlester, Oklahoma. Most of the buildings are in typical early 20th century vernacular commercial styling.
