Geyer & Adams Building

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The Geyer & Adams Co. building is one of a couple of old industrial company buildings rescued by CALS in the early 2000s. It, and the one next to it, now hold the Arkansas Studies Institute. 

Going up? Maybe in 1906...

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Another artifact of the Cox Building, its original elevator machinery sits outside on its own little dais, like an altar to a dead god. The plaque nearby says the "drum type traction hoisting machine" was an early example of its kind and was installed in 1906. When it was removed in 2001, it was still functional. Almost like the building's heart was surgically removed while still beating - but that's a bit morose. The Cox building currently hosts a used book store and cafe, which is one of my favorite places to visit on my lunch break.

More photos after the jump.

DO NOT PARK ON TRACKS

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There are no tracks near this sign. Nor do I think the modern Little Rock police would hand-paint a sign like this. This is the Cox Building - part of the Central Arkansas Library System. All of the buildings around this one are ancient, re-purposed. This week we'll explore them.

My City: Then and Now

A while ago I showed you a photo of Little Rock in 1905, a view from across the river. This is that same view, in 2012. Shall we compare?

Stone and Glass

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The late 19th century Pulaski County Courthouse faces down the 1986 Stephens Inc. building - a monster of glass and steel representative of the faceless skyscrapers present in every American city. Even though the courthouse has the illusion of size here, the Stephens building is actually one of the tallest in town.

Here's a historical shot of the courthouse from 1905 - before the neoclassical addition (seen here at left) was built around 1915.

To Dome, or not to Dome?

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Here's Little Rock City Hall in 2012, appearing much as it did 100 years ago. Except there's something missing.

Bye-bye, Broadway Bridge

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Here is a 1920s bridge that is slated, in the next few years, to be demolished. The bridge is apparently in fine condition, but officials would rather pay for a new one than upkeep. There has been chatter of an "iconic" replacement, but I would not be surprised if what we end up getting is just another strip of concrete.

Hall of Justice

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If it weren't for the tacky "NO SMOKING" signs, you'd think this were a fortress somewhere in Europe. But nope, courthouse, Arkansas.

Houses in Hillcrest V

I see this one every time I drive home along Markham. It's a good example of all the larger craftsman houses in this part of Hillcrest.

Houses in Hillcrest IV

I love little craftsman houses with the dormers that look like an eyelid in the process of opening. One house like that was torn down in Searcy just a year or two ago. Photo of that one after the jump.

The Last of its Kind

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Last year, this Little Rock house was on the Arkansas Historic Preservation Association's list of most endangered places.

Houses in Hillcrest III

I like houses with porches and big windows. The style is inviting, not overbearing, and makes you feel more like a human. All those "exposed" rafters and such are also examples of Craftsman style.

Houses in Hillcrest II

YUM

A row of modest Craftsman houses in lower Hillcrest.

Houses in Hillcrest I

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After exploring Stift Station's old commercial strip, we wandered around the bottom of Hillcrest for a while, ogling all the huge, antique houses. For the next few days I'll show you some of them. 

"Stift Station" Sign

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I'm a bit torn on this one. The sign as it appears today is classy, but totally devoid of neon. It used to be a sign for Little Rock Paint & Wallpaper Co., which has been gone for a long time. Even when other businesses were in this building it kept that sign. But recently it changed to this. Here's what it used to look like. Judge for yourself.

"Thrift" Sign, Stift Station

Classy.

This sign is just a block down from Buice Drugs. Signs from the 1950s and earlier tend to look like this in the last days of their lives. It's sad. Google Streetview from 2007 shows a business called the "Broom Closet" here, but the sign wasn't in much better shape then than now.

Buice Drugs, Stift Station

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 An excellent old neon sign in the Stift Station neighborhood near downtown Little Rock. The owner, George Wimberly, recently died at age 92 or so. The interior is cleared out and I wonder what will happen to this institution. By the way, it's pronounced like "vice."

More photos from Stift Station to follow. A bit of background after the jump.

The Djinn of Centre Place

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One of the more characteristic architectural details on any building in downtown Little Rock. There's four of those guys on the Centre Place building, and I bet they've been holding up those columns for at least 100 years. Rough work.

My city, 1910

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Little Rock, my city. From the Arkansas River, 1910. Very little of this scene still exists today. The Capital Hotel is a notable survivor and its roof can be seen behind the flat water tower just right of center. Also quite visible are the painted ads that would today be ghost signs.

Image courtesy of Shorpy.

100th Post: Downtown Dreams

Someone caught a big time fish.

Over the course of the last three years and 99 posts, I've been to a lot of forlorn places. I've seen broken windows, fallen bricks, crumbling mortar, long-dead dreams, ghost signs, signs of ghosts, signs of future ghosts. Whole buildings missing like teeth. Parking lots put in their places. Main Streets empty of the souls they were built for.

Lots of forlorn places.
This isn't one of them.