Category Archives: Architecture

Little Rock Look Back: Construction on Robinson Auditorium ‘Substantially Finished’

Posted on by

jtrma-bw.jpgSeveral months behind schedule, it was 75 years ago today that the construction of the Joseph Taylor Robinson Memorial Auditorium was declared “substantially finished.”

On December 8, 1939, the work of the general contractor was complete.  The building’s utilities were all fully connected as the steam line and electric transformer were hooked up.  While the work of the general contractor was through, there was still much work to be done. Though there were still unfinished portions of the structure, the exterior was complete and finished surfaces had been installed on the interior.  Until the building was officially turned over to the City, the federal Public Works Administration still had to give approval for any uses of the building.

Mayor J. V. Satterfield, Jr. told the press that he wasn’t sure when the City would formally accept the building. The connection of the utilities had used up the remaining funds, so there was uncertainty as to when the final tasks would be completed.

When it was built, Robinson Auditorium was the first municipal auditorium in the south central United States to be air conditioned.  However, the air conditioning unit was not sufficient to cool both the music hall and the convention hall at the same time.  In warm weather months concurrent events would not be able to take place on the two levels.

Sandwich in History at Little Rock’s House House today at noon

Posted on by

Joseph W. House HouseToday at noon the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s Sandwiching in History tour visits the Joseph W. House House at 2126 Arch Street.

The “Sandwiching In History” program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour. A representative from the property is encouraged to attend also and address the group.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.

Joseph W. House House, 2126 S. Arch Street, Little Rock. Located in the Governor’s Mansion Historic District, this home was built about 1892 for prominent attorney and statesman Joseph Warren House, Sr. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and later practiced law at Searcy. In 1871 House was elected to represent White County in the General Assembly and helped draft Arkansas’s fifth and current constitution during the convention of 1874. In 1892 he moved to the home at 2126 S. Arch Street, where he lived until his death in 1926.

 

Free Admission today to Clinton Presidential Center

Posted on by

lib-clinton-lCelebrate the Clinton Center’s 10th anniversary with a FREE admission day at the Library. Take advantage of the opportunity to see the special exhibit, Chihuly, as well as all the permanent exhibits. Also available are FREE Acoustiguide audio tours narrated by President Clinton!

Monday, November 17, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Free Admission today to Clinton Center as part of 10th anniversary

Posted on by

Clinton Library 3Celebrate the Clinton Center’s 10th anniversary with a FREE admission day at the Library. Take advantage of the opportunity to see the special exhibit, Chihuly, as well as all the permanent exhibits. Also available are FREE Acoustiguide audio tours narrated by President Clinton!

Sunday, November 16, 2014, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday, November 17, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Public Architecture is focus of ADN discussion tonight

Posted on by

ADN janneThe monthly Architecture and Design Network lecture is this evening.  Tonight’s speaker is Janne Terasvirta.

The program begins at 6pm tonight at the Arkansas Arts Center. A reception at 5:30 precedes the discussion.

In addition to his very busy practice, Janne Terasvirta, one of the founding partners and the chief executive of Helsinki, Finland-based ALA Architects, teaches public building design at Helsinki’s Aalto University and serves as a visiting professor at Estudios Superiores de Diseno de Monterrey, Santa Catarina, Mexico.

Recipient of more than 20 design awards in competitions worldwide, Terasvirta’s design for the Helsinki Public Library, now under construction, was selected from a field of 548 entries. ALA is recognized as one of the most innovative and influential architecture firms in the Nordic countries. In his talk, Terasvirta will address the importance of public space in our urbanizing world.

Terasvirta’s lecture is free and open to the public. Supporters of the Architecture and Design Network include the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture, the Arkansas Arts Center, the Central Section of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and people in the community. For additional information, contact ardenetwork@icloud.com.

LR Cultural Touchstone: Cheryl Griffith Nichols

Posted on by

C NicholsCheryl Griffith Nichols is a historian, with an emphasis on historical structures, who has lived and worked in Arkansas since 1978.

She was born and raised in Indiana and graduated from Hanover College in 1974. After working for three years as the executive director of the Bartholomew County Historical Society in Columbus, Indiana, she enrolled in George Washington University in Washington DC, majoring in American studies with a concentration in historic preservation. While living in Washington, she worked for the National Register of Historic Places.

She moved to Little Rock in 1978, where she married attorney Mark Nichols and completed her Masters degree by writing a thesis on the Pulaski Heights community; the thesis was accepted in 1981. Meanwhile, Nichols became acquainted with Charles Witsell (a prominent Little Rock architect and historic preservation advocate) while he was working with F. Hampton Roy (a Little Rock ophthalmologist, historic preservation advocate and Little Rock City Director) to write a book about the history of Little Rock. Nichols did extensive research for the book, which was published in 1984 by August House as How We Lived: Little Rock as an American City.

Nichols then became a free-lance researcher, operating a business in Little Rock which she called History, Inc. This business did research and documentation of historic structures in Arkansas, mostly but not entirely in Pulaski County. Nichols also worked for the Museum of Science and History (now the Museum of Discovery) in Little Rock, served as the Executive Director of the Quapaw Quarter Association from 1984 through 1987 and again from 1991 through 1997, and wrote several books for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (Little Rock: Driving Tour of Three Historic Neighborhoods, 1989; MacArthur Park Historic Tours, 1993, Governor’s Mansion Area, 1993; Historically Black Properties in Little Rock’s Dunbar School Neighborhood, 1999, The Arkansas Designs of E. Fay Jones, 1999, Hillcrest: The History and Architectural Heritage of Little Rock’s Streetcar Suburb, 1999, and Construction of the Military Road Between Little Rock, Arkansas, and Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 2003.)

She has remained active in historic preservation efforts.  She has served on the board of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  She also served on a task force to determine the best use of Curran Hall.  Much of her research has been donated to the Arkansas Studies Institute.

“Really Cool Digs” is topic of tonight’s Architecture and Design Network lecture

Posted on by

ADN Cool DigsIn his talk, Carl Matthews will examine the ways in which the media – television, film, advertising among them – use architecture and design to develop and project a particular image or mood. Examples abound and Matthew will share a generous sampling of them with his audience.

As head of the Fay Jones School of Architecture’s Interior Design Department, Matthews currently oversees the education of a hundred and ten students. Of that number, a majority, following graduation, will likely pursue careers in commercial design. As an educator, Matthews strives to create a link between academia and practice. Prior to his coming to the School, Matthews taught at the Universities of Texas and Kansas. He earned his Master’s degree from Pratt Institute.

The lecture starts at 6pm at the Arkansas Arts Center.  A reception will start at 5:30.

ADN lectures are free and open to the public. Supporters of ADN include the Arkansas Arts Center, the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and the Central Arkansas section of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. For further information contactardenetwork@mac.com.