Quapaw Quarter Historic Homes Tour

Little Rock became more than an outpost – it became a thriving city.

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A thorough transformation had taken place by 1900. Little Rock enjoyed a full array of city improvements – street railways, water and sewer systems, electricity, telephones, and paved streets. Thousands of newly constructed buildings changed the landscape. A new era was born, ushering in a more cosmopolitan – but infinitely stylish – way of living and doing business.

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Walk in & Visit

615 E Capitol Ave.

WALTERS-CURRAN-BELL HOUSE

(c. 1842-43)

This antebellum house was built in the Greek Revival style with many outbuildings and gardens. After extensive rehabilitation and restoration appropriate to the 1850s. The Visitors Center is open seven days a week from April through October. Winter hours are Monday through Saturday.

503 E 9th St

U.S. ARSENAL BUILDING

(c. 1840-42)

In the 1830s, this land became a U.S. Arsenal. The Tower Building originally stored munitions and then housed officers until 1892. In 1880, Douglas MacArthur (later General) was born there. By 1890, the military base became City Park. By the 1940s, it housed the Museum of Natural History and Antiquities.

501 E 9th St

ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

(c. 1937)

The original Museum of Fine Arts was a handsome building with an impressive Art Deco entry. By the 1960s, Jeanette Rockefeller, wife of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, championed major improvements. Several additions were added with a major addition/renovation in 2019.

1201 Commerce St

OLD FIRE STATION #2

(c. 1917)

This firehouse, constructed in the popular Craftsman Style in 1917, opened as Fire Station #2. Since Little Rock’s population had become more dense, it was a necessity. In later years, however, the city moved west, and the Fire Station was closed in 1957. It opened as the Firehouse Hostel and Museum, in 2016.

1200 Main St

COHN BUILDING

(c. 1911)

Population flight to the suburbs eventually closed businesses in the neighborhood commercial districts of Arch, Gaines, and Main Streets. Residential rebirth, the Capitol Zoning District Commission, and SOMA have sparked a renewed interest from businesses increasing commercial activity.

2120 Lousiana St

HORNIBROOK HOUSE

(c. 1888)

The Empress of Little Rock Small Luxury Hotel is the most flamboyant example of Gothic Queen Anne style. Except for paint colors, the house has lived through numerous incarnations with an exterior unchanged, including the original iron fence and gate.

Broadway St & 12th St

BELL HOUSE

(c. 1843)

Built at the end of the 19th century, this park-like oasis became the primary city cemetery in 1843. It is the final “residence” for so many notable Arkansans that its nickname is “The Westminster Abbey of Arkansas.”