Neoclassical details, Little Rock

North Main Street

Many of the taller buildings on North Main are neoclassical, meaning they have elements of classic Greek and Roman buildings. It's a common style for early 1900s banks because of its visual strength. This building also has some Italianate elements.

"Fulk" Building, Little Rock

North Main Street, Little Rock

The building labeled "Fulk" is one of the few from this series that is not vacant - it houses Bennett's Military Supplies, a 100-plus-year-old shop that has always been on this block. The building itself is in sad shape, however, and I don't know who "Fulk" is.

Snapshot - "BEFORE I DIE"

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The next set of photos were taken on Little Rock's Main Street. Most, if not all, of the buildings pictured are vacant or abandoned. Photos of Main Street from decades past show crowds of shoppers and workers; those days are long-past. The above photo is from the old MM Cohn building, a department store that also saw its golden age many years ago.

Hinderliter Grog Shop (Little Rock)

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You would probably never know just by looking at it, but this is the oldest building in Little Rock.

Snapshot - Tuf Nut Building

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Tuf Nut was a company that manufactured work clothing. This building was once their Little Rock factory - it's now loft apartments and first-floor businesses.

Snapshot - Congress Square, Portland, 1904

Google street view from 2009. The YMCA is gone and the skinny building has gained a floor.

Another gem from Shorpy. This photo shows Portland, Maine - not the better known Oregon version. I was born in this city 81 years after the photo was taken.

Snapshot - Staircase ruins, Poplar Bluff, Missouri

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An ornate staircase built across from the Poplar Bluff train station in the early 1900s. The stairs were a symbolic gateway between the railroad and the heart of the city - and you can see how long that symbolism lasted. The station is similarly dilapidated.

Snapshot - Pulaski County Courthouse, 1905

Found at Shorpy Historical Photo Archive

Today's photo comes from an outside source. The courthouse is, happily, still exactly as it appears in this photo, except with a working clock in place of the blank face seen at the tower here. It's a stunning red stone building. As you may guess it is no longer the tallest thing around. And you won't be finding any horses or carts wandering around its perimeter.

Snapshot - Bricks, tracks, and river rail

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Old brick courtyard and abandoned railroad track at left; replica streetcar at right; modern condominiums and office buildings in background

Snapshot - Another ghost sign by the river

Too lazy for a Google Map. But it's right next to this one

This business, which apparently belonged to "BRANDON," now advertises mainly to a dumpster and a no-parking zone. Occasionally weird people like me come along to pay homage to the ghosts.

Exploration - Fairfield, Illinois

There's something about a city's downtown. It's the easiest way to get a snapshot of what the town is, who lives there and what values exist. I see a dead downtown as evidence of a dead, or dying town. It's also the place easiest to find visible history.

So a month or so ago we took a couple hours to walk around downtown Fairfield, Illinois. How did it measure up?

Snapshot - Ghost Sign, River Market

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Ornate brickad for a long-defunct business. The sign might have advertised to river or rail traffic; the only folks wandering this way now are joggers, hobos and tourists. Note the modern advertising on the upper left.

Snapshot - Democrat Printing and Litho. Co.

No time for Google Map - maybe later

This 100-year-old downtown building presently hosts upstairs lofts, a few random shops and Arkansas Business Publishing Group (my place of work). Oddly, Democrat Printing & Litho. Co. still prints my company's material, but it's in another location now. Strange how that worked out.

Snapshot - Central Supply Co. Building, Little Rock

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I'm not too sure what the "Central Supply Company" is or was, but it certainly no longer resides in this early 20th century building. Some of its floors are home to the Arkansas Times - I know that much.

Lost Empire: Rock Island Railroad

In the glory days of railroading, multiple passenger lines crisscrossed through cities. The Rock Island Railroad wound its way from Rock Island, Illinois, down south through Arkansas. Here in Little Rock, Rock Island built a huge span over the Arkansas River.

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But in time all empires must crumble.

Snapshot: Title, high rise, Little Rock

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Ornate "B-B" title on a high-rise in downtown Little Rock. Likely refers to original builders. This building has lofts upstairs, and I believe the bottom floors are currently vacant.

(also: go hogs)

Snapshot: Ghost Sign, Little Rock

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A ghost sign spotted on President Clinton Avenue in downtown Little Rock.

The Return of Time Fishing!

As was prophesied, I am now ready to return to this world after moving to a new place and getting a job where I don't write about history.

So let's talk a little about history. I'm going to do something like what I described in one of my last posts, where I'll blog single photos through most of the week and write longer posts as I come to them, usually for exploration of small towns or whatnot. Since I live in Little Rock now, there's an abundance of unexplored neighborhoods and areas to provide ample snapshot material.

And now for a little bit of movie theater.

More after the jump...