Author Archives: Scott

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About Scott

A cultural thinker with a life long interest in the arts and humanities: theatre, music, architecture, photography, history, urban planning, etc.

Heritage Month – Corydon Wassell House

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Corydon WassellThe Corydon Wassell House is a one-and-one-half story wood framed Victorian cottage.. The 1882 house is located at 2005 South Scott Street, outside both the Governor’s Mansion and MacArthur Park Historic Districts. There are quite a few Victorian cottages in the vicinity, but it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 2000, in recognition of it being the birthplace and residence of Dr. Corydon Wassell.

Born in Little Rock on July 4, 1884, Corydon McAlmont Wassell (called “Cory”) was born to Albert and Leona Wassell. A grandson of Little Rock Mayor John Wassell, he graduated from what is now UAMS in 1909. In 1911, he married Mary Irene Yarnell, with whom he would have four children.  In 1914, the couple volunteered to be Episcopal missionaries in China.  He served there until 1927. Following Mary’s death and his remarriage, he and new wife Madeline Edith Day Wassell returned to Arkansas in 1927.

Dr. Wassell resumed his medical practice. Given his experience with malaria in China, he proved to be an asset fighting malaria among Civilian Conservation Corps members in Arkansas. He was subsequently called to active duty in the Navy in 1936 and stationed in Key West.

After the outbreak of World War II, he was stationed in Indonesia. In early 1942, he refused to abandon his patients after the Japanese started invading Indonesia. Instead, he was able to evacuate a dozen severly wounded men over 150 miles to get to a ship. It took ten days for the ship to get to Australia, during which time it was attacked numerous times.  His official Navy Cross citation notes that he disregarded personal safety while caring for others.

He became an instant international hero. During the early days of the war, his heroism was one of the few bright spots. James Hilton wrote a biography of him; President Roosevelt praised him in a fireside chat; Cecil B. DeMille filmed a movie with Gary Cooper playing him.

Dr. Wassell’s first cousin, Sam Wassell, was serving on the Little Rock City Council at the time. He would later serve as Little Rock Mayor.

After retiring from the navy with the rank of rear admiral, Dr. Wassell worked for a time without pay at a charity hospital in Hawaii. He eventually returned to Key West, Florida. Later, he returned to Arkansas to be near family. He died on May 12, 1958, in Little Rock at the age of seventy-four. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Little Rock Look Back: Harry S. Truman

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HST in LR2

Truman speaking at War Memorial Park

On May 8, 1884, future US President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri.

Truman spent most of his youth on the family farm.  Serving in World War I, he saw combat in France and rose to the rank of Captain.  After the war, he returned to Missouri and became involved in Democratic Party politics.  After serving as a county official, he was elected US Senator in 1935 backed by the powerful Kansas City Pendergast machine.

In 1941, he headed a Senate Committee which exposed corruption and fraud in wartime contracts.  He also worked to show he was not just a puppet of the Pendergast machine (which was crucial once Pendergast went to prison).  In 1944, Democratic leaders were trying to knock the incumbent Vice President, Henry Wallace, off the ticket as FDR’s running mate.  Wallace was viewed as too far to the left.  Truman was a compromise candidate and was chosen to serve as FDR’s running mate.

He took office as Vice President in March 1945.  When President Roosevelt died in April 1945, they had spent little time together.  He oversaw the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan in his hopes of ending World War II with fewer soldier casualties.

Following the war, he supported the creation of the United Nations, sought to contain communism through the Truman Doctrine, and worked to rebuild Europe.  In his quest to stem the spread of communism, he involved the US in the Korean War.

Domestically, he struggled with civil rights issues (including integrating the military) and labor issues (including the threat to draft striking railway workers into the military). His election in 1948 for a full four-year term is often seen as the biggest upset in US Presidential political history.

At the time he became President, Truman was still living in a small apartment with his wife and daughter.  Though they lived in the White House for a bit, they later vacated it for the Blair House so that the structure could be completely renovated.

By the approach of the 1952 presidential election, Truman’s popularity had waned again.  He half-heartedly ran in the New Hampshire primary because he did not like any of the candidates currently in the field.  After finishing second to Sen. Estes Keafauver, he announced he would not be a candidate.  He left office in 1953 and returned to Missouri.

From 1953 onward, he served as the senior statesman and father confessor of the Democratic Party.  Many political leaders made pilgrimages to visit him.  In 1965, President Johnson signed the bill establishing Medicare at the Truman Library with President and Mrs. Truman in attendance.

He died on December 26, 1972, after having been admitted to the hospital earlier in the month for pneumonia.

Truman made two visits to Little Rock while President.  In June 1949, he attended an Army division reunion and spoke at the dedication of War Memorial Park.  In 1952, he visited Little Rock while in the state to speak at the dedication of Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam.

 

Sandwich in History today at the Dan Stowers Building

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Dan Stowers Office Building_tour_tnThe monthly architectural history program “Sandwiching in History” visits the Dan Stowers Office Building, located at 1516 West Third Street.

Architect Dan F. Stowers, Sr., designed this Mid-century Modern building in 1960 to house his firm. Somewhat unassuming from Third Street, the Stowers Building was oriented to take advantage of the view to the north and provide natural light for the drafting room.

Although the majority of the building’s walls are solid masonry, the northern elevation is composed of a glass curtain wall. This provided the perfect amount of indirect light for the drafting room. Panels of screen block on the building’s eastern side shield an exterior staircase and create an interesting detail.

Sandwiching in History is a program of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

 

Tiger Transfer Announced by Little Rock Zoo

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Hiland TigerThe Little Rock Zoo announced today that four of its six Malayan tigers have been shipped to other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Three of the Zoo’s four tiger cubs born on Nov. 12, 2013 and named by the public as Liem, Olan and Eko were shipped safely to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Wash. on March 13, 2015 to be part of the zoo’s new Banyan Wilds exhibit that opened to the public May 2.

The cubs’ mother, Suhanna, was shipped today to the Bronx Zoo in New York on a breeding recommendation. She will pair with a male tiger in hopes that the two will produce off-spring.

The Little Rock Zoo will keep Asmara, the female cub born in the litter with Liem, Olan and Eko, as well as Liku, the cubs’ father. The Zoo is hopeful that Asmara will receive a breeding recommendation soon. Liku will then be transferred to another zoo so that Little Rock Zoo can acquire a mate for Asmara at the recommendation of the AZA Malayan Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP).

The move of the tigers comes at the recommendation of the SSP that makes recommendations for the long-term survival of endangered species as well as companionship recommendations for particular animals.

About the Little Rock Zoo

The Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things.  With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.  For more information, visit www.aza.org.

Heritage Month – Chisum House

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Chisum HouseBuilt in 1894, the Chisum House (located at 1320 Cumberland Street) is a significant example of modified Queen Anne architecture.  It is notable for its architectural oddity in relation to other buildings in Little Rock.  The Chisum House embodies many of the Victorian period characteristics of irregular shape, towers, and multiple gales and bays.  The Chisum House represents the eclectic manner of late nineteenth-century architectural style in America through its use of these characteristics.

The house was built by and has since been associated with families of long social prominence in Little Rock.  Jason Sowell, who built the house, came from a family who had already been leaders in social life in Little Rock for many years; the family had been one of Little Rock’s earliest families.  Jason Sowell’s daughter married into the Chisum family, who were also among the favored social class in Little Rock and were to remain so for many years.

Sowell’s daughter married Oscar Clifton Chisum in 1892.  Chisum was born in Austin, Arkansas, in 1860.  He was associated with a drug firm in Memphis, Tennessee, until he moved to Little Rock in 1892.  Upon moving to Little Rock he assumed the position of Arkansas-Texas representative of a Louisville, Kentucky, hardware firm.

In 1894 Jason Sowell built a house for himself, his daughter, and her husband at 1320 Cumberland Street in Little Rock.  In 1894, Cumberland Street was considered the “elite” section of town, and residence in the area symbolized social and/or financial success.

The Chisums had one son, O. C. Chisum, Jr., who was born June 13, 1899.  He attended the University of Illinois and later was employed with the Internal Revenue Service.  O. C. Chisum, Jr., was the first member of the Arkansas Industrial Board which was created in 1927 by the Arkansas General Assembly.

O. C. Chisum, Sr., lived in the Chisum House until his death in 1924; his son, O. C. Chisum, Jr., lived in the same house until his death in 1937.

The Chisum House is a significant structure in its architectural style.  It has always been one of the most unusual residences in Little Rock.  The aristocratic style of the house reflects the tastes of the man who built it and of the family it housed for many years.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1975.

Student Showcase tonight at South on Main highlighting UALR visual and performing arts students

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UALR Coopt artistsStudents in the visual and performing arts at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will present their work at South on Main from 5 to 9 p.m. tonight (May 7)

The event is free and open to the public. Seating at the bar is open, but reservations must be made for table service. Reservations can be made at 501.244.9660 or at opentable.com.

For the third consecutive semester, visual artists will display their work for the viewing public at the event known as Co-opt.

“Twenty students will have the chance to hone, and share, their craft with a public audience at an established location and promote the arts at UALR,” said Taimur Cleary, UALR Artist in Residence and instructor of the course that inspires the event.

UALR’s Department of Art and Department of Theatre Arts and Dance are teaming up with Oxford American magazine and South on Main to host the semi annual event in order to promote these emerging artists.

Cleary and his students will speak briefly at 7 p.m. during the show. Following their talk, students from the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance will share a selection of four plays all written, directed, and performed by the students.

This will be the first time performing artists from both music and theatre will be included in the show.

In addition to the live presentations, artwork will remain on display in Oxford American’s Annex Gallery from Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, May 9.

According to Cleary, the title Co-opt carries a number of meanings, namely to cause someone to become a part of your movement. It also refers to cooperative learning strategies that the class uses.

In Cleary’s class, Learning Co-Op, students representing almost every department on campus create works of art through printmaking, painting, ceramics, and sculpture.

Cleary is a painter and teaches full-time at UALR. His artistic direction is informed and fueled by evolving interests in art history, perception, meteorology, memory, abstraction, and photography.

Heritage Month – Choctaw Station

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Choctaw StationForty years ago today, on May 6, 1975, Little Rock’s Choctaw Route Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

This turn-of-the-century railroad depot is one of the finest examples of railroad, architecture in Arkansas.  This red brick with terra cotta elements building is a two story rectangular structure with one story wings projecting from both the north and south elevations.  A long one story porch covers the passenger loading area along the entire east elevation, with a smaller porch over the entry on the west elevation.

The Choctaw Route Station was built between 1899 and 1901 (records vary) by the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad.  This railroad amalgamated with many small lines in Oklahoma and extended into Arkansas in the early 1890’s.  Used as a passenger station, the Little Rock terminal building housed two waiting rooms, a baggage room, restaurant and dining room.

When the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad was sold in 1902, the Choctaw Route Station became the property of the Rock Island Railroad.  Until the mid 1950’s it continued to serve as a passenger station for the Rock Island.  It later served as a warehouse, restaurant and nightclub.

Since 2004, it has been the home to the Clinton School for Public Service as well as Clinton Foundation offices.  Restoration was underwritten by the Roy and Christine Sturgis Foundation. In recognition of this, it is now known as Sturgis Hall.  Former Clinton School Dean David Pryor referred to it as “the little red school house.”

On Earth Day (April 22, 2015), it was announced that Sturgis Hall had received Gold LEED certification from the US Green Building Council.  In August 2009, the Clinton School received a stimulus grant from Governor Mike Beebe to implement sustainable and maintenance practices for reducing the environmental impact of the building. Utility bills costs have already been lowered by $38,000 annually and water usage has been significantly curtailed.

This designation made it the oldest building in Arkansas to be LEED certified and one of the oldest university buildings in the world.  The LEED certification had been a goal of Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford and Clinton Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Streett.