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Little Rock Historic District Commission

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Little Rock Historic District Commission

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Little Rock Historic District Commission, Government Organization, 723 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, AR.

The HDC and staff work with residents, property owners, neighborhoods, local and state nonprofit organizations, and City of Little Rock departments to protect and enhance our community’s cultural and architectural heritage for the benefit of the future.

10/27/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the Chisum House. The Chisum House was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 12/4/75 as a quintessential Queen Anne style building that stands out from other residences. Built in 1894, this Queen Anne style house features an asymmetrical façade, towers, multiple rooflines, patterned shingles, finials atop the gable, and spindle work porch details. Jason Sowell, a member of one of the original families of Little Rock, built this house for his daughter, Catherine Sowell Chisum, and her husband, Oscar Chisum, Sr. The Chisums had one child, Oscar Chisum, Jr. Oscar Chisum, Sr. lived in this house until his death in 1924, and Oscar Chisum Jr. lived in this house until his death in 1939. This house is a protected structure within the MacArthur Park Local Ordinance Historic District, and it still serves as a single-family residence.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2024, photo by City staff.
Slide 2: 1978, photo courtesy of the Quapaw Quarter Association.
Slide 3, top to bottom: 2007, photo courtesy of architectural resource survey; undated, photo courtesy of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

10/20/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the Dan F. Stowers Building. The Dan F. Stowers Building was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 9/28/15 for its intact and innovative mid-century modern architecture. Built in 1960 by Dan F. Stowers, Sr., the Dan F. Stowers Building features floor-to-ceiling windows; a flat, unornamented brick façade; a flat roof; cantilevered sections of the roof; and an asymmetrical façade. The Dan F. Stowers Building utilizes innovative building materials and techniques—an up-and-coming practice in mid-century modern architecture—such as haydite blocks, freeze blocks, porcelain-enameled panels, and floor-to-ceiling window glazing. Dan Stowers, Sr. worked out of this office with Harold Boyce from 1960-1965. Dan Stowers, Jr. joined the firm in 1963. Dan Stowers, Sr. worked with his son from this office—designing projects for the City of North Little Rock and several educational and institutional buildings around the state—until his death in 1971. Dan Stowers, Jr. worked out of this office until 2013. Now, the building serves as a meditation center.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slides 2 & 3: 2015, photo from National Register nomination by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

10/13/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: First Missionary Baptist Church. First Missionary Baptist Church (FMBC) was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 9/29/83 for its status as one of the oldest Black congregations in the state and for its architecture. Built in 1882 in the Gothic style, FMBC features a high-pitched gabled roof, decorative vergeboards, pointed arch windows, stained glass windows, and two towers. Reverend Wilson Brown, a slave who attended the Missionary Baptist Church that served white residents, organized FMBC in 1845 to serve the Black community in Little Rock. The congregation outgrew two previous buildings, so they built a new church with contemporary conveniences and classic Gothic style. The pipe organ was added in 1915, and many of the stained glass windows were added in 1919. Now, the building still serves as the First Missionary Baptist Church.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slide 2: 1978, photo courtesy of the Quapaw Quarter Association.
Slide 3: undated, photo courtesy of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Slide 4: 2025, photo courtesy of City staff.

10/12/2026

Little Rock’s history lives on in the South Main Street Apartments Historic District. The South Main Street Apartments Historic District was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 4/7/95 for its status as some of the first buildings in Little Rock built using Federal Housing Administration assistance and their architectural style. In 1934, President Roosevelt’s New Deal established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure residential loans, which was bolstered by the Federal National Mortgage Association. The two identical buildings in the South Main Street Apartments Historic District were built using FHA funds and supervision. These two buildings were among the first in Little Rock constructed using FHA funds, and their intact Colonial Revival style contributes to the character of South Main Street. The historic character lives on through its early representation of federal programs and its recognizable architectural style.

For more information on this historic district and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1, clockwise from top: 2209 and 2213 Main St., northwest elevations; 2213 Main St., west elevation; 2209 Main St., west elevation.
Slide 2, top to bottom: 2213 Main St., southwest elevation; 2209 Main St., southwest elevation.

10/06/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the Moore Building. The Moore Building was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 10/23/86 as one of the few examples of Spanish style buildings in downtown Little Rock and its association with the firm of Charles Thompson, Theodore Sanders, and Frank Ginnocchio. Built in 1929 in the Spanish style, this building features an orange tile roof, corner towers with parapets, decorative tiles, fluted piers between storefront bays, and decorative terracotta. Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio designed this building for Melford B. Moore, a real estate developer. The firm designed this as an office space, with one original tenant being Draughon’s School of Business. Now, the building still serves as mixed-use building.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slide 2, top to bottom: 1928, west and south elevations, architectural drawing by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection; 1928, north and east elevations, architectural drawing by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection.
Slide 3: 1928, details on corner towers, architectural drawing by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection.
Slide 4: 1984, southwest elevation, photo courtesy of City archives.
Slide 5, top to bottom: 2005, south elevation, photo by Charles Bloom; undated, southwest elevation, photo by City staff.
Slide 6 & 7: 2026, south elevation, photo by City staff.

09/29/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the Van Frank Cottage at 517 E. 15th Street. The Van Frank Cottage at 517 E. 15th Street was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 12/21/85 for its architecture. Built in 1908 alongside three similar houses, the Van Frank Cottage at 517 E. 15th Street features Colonial Revival elements such as a simple cornice, double-hung windows, and a porch supported by Tuscan columns. Although built using similar methods and times to the homes in the MacArthur Park Historic District, these four houses were modest speculative rentals, much like those in the Marshall Square Historic District. This juxtaposition, represented by their architecture, is even more remarkable when the four cottages are presented together. An engineer who led improvements to the Arkansas and White Rivers, Philip R. Van Frank built these houses to as rental properties, and they are the only extant residential buildings associated with him. Now, the Van Frank Cottage at 517 E. 15th Street is still a single-family residence.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slides 2 & 3: 2020, photo by Brian Minyard.

09/24/2026

Due to lack of business, the Historic District Commission meeting scheduled for October 1, 2026 is canceled. Please join us at the next scheduled meeting on November 5, 2026.

09/22/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the First Church of Christ, Scientist. The First Church of Christ, Scientist was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 10/4/1984 for its association with architect John Parks Almand and association with religion in Little Rock. Built in 1920 in the Mission style, this church features a smooth plaster façade, red tile roof, overhanging eaves, square piers, and red terra cotta ornamentation. The First Church of Christ, Scientist organized in 1899. After a split, the First and Second Churches of Christ, Scientist reunited and held services on this lot in a small building. Paying off the debt eighteen years after completion, this structure was dedicated, per church policy. In 1950, the building sold to a new congregation that became the Central Church of Little Rock. In 1968, they changed their name to the Little Rock Community Church, and in 2024, they changed their name to the Rufus K. Young Christian Church. Now, the building still serves as a church.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slides 2 & 3: 1978, photo courtesy of the Quapaw Quarter Association.
Slide 4: 1984, photo from the National Register Nomination.
Slide 5: 2000, photo courtesy of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Slide 6: 2026, photo by City staff.

09/15/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the James Mitchell School. The James Mitchell School was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 5/20/09 for its representation of Little Rock’s education history and association with architecture firm Thompson and Harding. Built in 1908 by Charles Thompson, the original Prairie style structure featured a four-room plan, central gable, and slate hipped roof. Thompson expanded the building in 1910. In 1915, Thomas Harding, Jr. designed a Neoclassical annex, featuring fluted Doric columns, a symmetrical façade, and a grand entablature. A 1952 addition by McAninch & Mahnker built space for a kitchen, cafeteria, and classrooms. Named for James Mitchell—editor-in-chief and president of the Arkansas Democrat, advocate for women’s and African American rights, and school board member—the school originally served a growing population of white, economically diverse families in west Little Rock, as reflected in the Prairie style and juxtaposed by the Neoclassical addition. Integration and white flight shifted the neighborhood to a predominantly African American, blue collar community, reflecting trends across the South. The Little Rock School District used this school for 96 years. Now, the building serves as a charter school.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slide 2, top to bottom: 1908, original front elevation, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection; 1908, east and west elevations, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection.
Slide 3, top to bottom: 2008, north elevation, photo courtesy of National Register Nomination; 2016, photo courtesy of ReLocal survey.
Slide 4, top to bottom: 2019, northeast elevation, photo by Bobby Mathews; 2019, north elevation, photo by Bobby Mathews.

09/08/2026

Step back in time with this week’s historic gem: the Farrell House at 2115 S. Louisiana Street. The Farrell House at 2115 S. Louisiana Street was listed to the National Register of Historic Places on 12/22/1982 for its sound Craftsman architecture and association with architect Charles L. Thompson. Built in 1914, this house features Craftsman elements such as half-timbering, exposed rafters, square columns supporting the porch, brackets, and grouped windows. Charles Thompson designed four rental homes for R. E. Farrell on this block. Each house has unique characteristics, which was rare for rental houses. Now, the home still serves as a single-family residence.

For more information on this site and other Little Rock Landmarks, follow this link https://littlerock.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=358a709d8d984fba99104e5eb1d2328e or find it in the bio.

Slide 1: 2026, photo by City staff.
Slide 2, top to bottom: 1914, west elevation, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection; 1914, north elevation, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection.
Slide 3, top to bottom: 1914, east elevation, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection; 1914, south elevation, architectural drawing by Charles Thompson, photo courtesy of the Old State House Museum collection.
Slide 4: 2000, northwest elevation, photo courtesy of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
Slides 5 and 6: 2015, photo courtesy of ReLocal survey.

Address

723 W. Markham Street
Little Rock, AR
72201

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15013714789

Website

https://www.littlerock.gov/city-administration/city-departments/planning-and-development/divisions/cultural-heritage-his

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