Each month the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program sponsors a “Sandwiching in History” tour which features a historic property. Today at 12 noon is the first one for 2013.

This month’s tour is of the B.P.O.E. building at 401 S. Scott Street.  Now known at the headquarters of the Junior League of Little Rock, it was originally built as a lodge for the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks.  The building was designed in the Second Renaissance Revival Style in 1908 by Theo Sanders and was constructed in two phases around 1910.  In 1927 the building was purchased by the Women’s City Club.  In May 2001 it was purchased by the Junior League of Little Rock.

The Sandwiching in History tours are free and open to the public. All tours begin at noon and last no more than one hour. An AHPP historian delivers a brief lecture about the property before leading guests on a tour. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunches with them.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage) identifies, evaluates, registers, and  preserves the state’s historic and cultural resources and seeks to instill a preservation ethic in future generations of Arkansans. The agency also houses the Main Street Arkansas program, which works with local communities to revitalize downtown commercial areas.