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SANDWICHING IN HISTORY SCHEDULE
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 tours are organized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.
First Presbyterian Church of North Little Rock |
April 9 - First Presbyterian Church of North Little Rock
April 9, 2010: First Presbyterian Church at 201 W. 4th St. in North Little Rock. Located in the Argenta Historic District, the First Presbyterian Church of North Little Rock has experienced growth as a result of renewed interest in the downtown area. The church sanctuary was designed in 1954 by well-known Arkansas architect John Parks Almand in a simplified version of the Gothic Revival style. The interior of the sanctuary features the lavish use of dark woods and stained glass.
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Reichardt House |
May 7 - Reichardt House
May 7, 2010: Reichardt House at 1201 Welch St. in Little Rock. Originally constructed around 1870, this house has had several Folk Victorian-style additions, including the final addition of a second story about 1890. The house was purchased by German immigrant Edward Reichardt in 1874 after he had made a name for himself in the merchandising and cotton trading business. Reichardt even owned part interest in Little Rock’s first street railway system as well as a railroad bridge across the Arkansas River at Little Rock.
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Street Building |
June 4 - Street Building
June 4, 2010: Street Building at 417-419 Main St. in North Little Rock. The Street Building was expanded in 1895, and the present façade was built at that time. Pharmacist George M. Street initially owned the building, but it has served as a meeting place for the Elks Lodge, the North Little Rock Boys Club, and the American Legion. The Street Building is an excellent example of the Italianate style in the Argenta Historic District with its decorative cornice, L-shaped brackets, and hood molding over the windows. It currently houses an art studio and offices on its lower floors, and the upper floor has been converted into a residence.
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Matthews House |
July 9 - Matthews House
July 9, 2010: Matthews House at 406 Goshen Ave. in North Little Rock. The Matthews House was constructed in 1928 by the Justin Matthews Company as a show house in the Park Hill subdivision. The house remained open for public viewing from 1928 to 1932, and during that time, it was toured by an estimated 28,000 people. The company’s architect, Frank Carmean, created the extraordinarily “modernistic” house by combining elements of the International and Art Deco styles.
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Crestview Park |
August 6 - Crestview Park
August 6, 2010: Crestview Park at the intersection of Crestview Dr. and Cherry Hill Ave. in North Little Rock. Parking is available on nearby streets, and for those who cannot walk stairs, limited parking is available behind the Travelodge on N. Main St. Park Hill developer Justin Matthews commissioned Mexican sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez to design his famous “faux bois” sculptures in Crestview Park in the early 1930s. While he is better known for his work at the Old Mill, Rodriguez created two concrete sculptures for this little-known park, including a front-gabled rustic shelter, which is unique to this site. Be sure to pack a lunch for this outdoor tour!
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First Lutheran Church |
September 10 - First Lutheran Church
September 10, 2010: First Lutheran Church at 314 E. 8th St. in Little Rock. Located in the MacArthur Park Historic District, First Lutheran Church is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style in downtown Little Rock. Completed in 1888, this building replaced a wood-frame church constructed on this site about 1870 by the Lutheran congregation. The First Lutheran Church was designed by Little Rock architect Thomas Harding. In 1926 a layer of buff brick was laid over the original red brick exterior, making the walls 14 inches thick with the exception of the west (or rear) wall, which is still faced in red brick under several coats of paint.
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Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery |
October 1 - Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery
October 1, 2010: Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery in Little Rock. Enter the cemetery at the gate on Barber St. between E. 17th St. and Booker Arts Magnet Elementary School. We will meet at the intersection of Veterans Blvd. and Main St. inside the cemetery. In 1862 the City of Little Rock purchased the Starbuck Estate in southeast Little Rock for use as a public cemetery due to concerns over private burials in the city limits, overcrowding at Mount Holly Cemetery, and the increasing number of soldiers dying in Little Rock’s hospitals during the Civil War. This land became Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery, which now contains over 10,000 monuments and sculptures on its 92 acres. The cemetery is representative of Little Rock’s social fabric—interring immigrants, African-Americans, paupers, religious and non-religious people—potentially revealing more about the City of Little Rock than many written histories.
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108 Melrose Circle |
November 5 - Melrose Place Addition
November 5, 2010: Melrose Place Addition in North Little Rock. Meet in front of 108 Melrose Circle. Located in the northwest corner of the Argenta Historic District, the Melrose Place Addition was platted in 1924 by Twin City Bank. The bank constructed 53 small Craftsman bungalow houses in the addition between 1925 and 1929. These homes feature similar plans and were historically occupied by railroad employees. The Melrose Place Addition is the only deviation from the traditional street grid pattern in Argenta. We will discuss the similarities between houses and take a look inside the house at 108 Melrose Circle.
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Herschell-Spillman Carousel |
December 3 - Herschell-Spillman Carousel
December 3, 2010: Herschell-Spillman Carousel at the Little Rock Zoo. The Herschell-Spillman, or “Over the Jumps,” Carousel consists of forty hand-carved wooden horses made in the 1920s by three of carousel manufacturer Allan Herschell’s companies. Herschell was one of the first carousel manufacturers in the United States, opening his first factory in 1873 in New York. Hand-carved and painted carousel horses are rare today, and “Over the Jumps” represents a unique, intact example of this art form.
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