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

Google Map

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. 

Houses in Stift Station

The houses in Stift Station are smaller and younger than the ones in the nearby Hillcrest and Heights neighborhoods, but still overflow with that 1920s-1930s craftsman charm. Another photo after the jump.

"Stift Station" Sign

Google Maps

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

Google Map

 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

Google Map

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.

Old fire station, North Little Rock

Google Map

Downtown North Little Rock's old fire station. Abandoned for years, it was purchased by the city and renovated to serve as the William F. Laman Library and the headquarters of the North Little Rock History Commission. They even replaced the old fire poles!

Aside: I actually visited the NLR History Commission today, and the director, Sandra Taylor Smith, told me a little more about the Baker house with its amazing tower. Turns out that story I told wasn't exactly true - a black man was probably driven out of his house in the late 19th century, but it took place at a different house (which is also amazing). I'll probably blog about that later.

My city, 1910

Google Map. Open in a new tab for super-size.

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.

Argenta Drug Co. Sign, North Little Rock

Downtown North Little Rock

Argenta Drug Co. has been in North Little Rock since 1885 or so and still operates as a drugstore. The sign is in sad shape and I don't think the neon is still functional, but it's a great example of an art form that has all but vanished in the 21st century.

"Street, 1895," North Little Rock

Google Map

If, for some reason, you're ever curious as to how old a building is, and you have no resource other than your eyes, there are two good places to look. A lot of buildings have a cornerstone with detailed information. Failing that, check the top of the facade - like above, you might see the name of the original owner and the date it was built.

By the way: Tomorrow is my 100th post, and I've got something special in store. Stay tuned...

Baker House Bed & Breakfast, North Little Rock

Google Map

The Baker House was built around 1899 in downtown North Little Rock. Want to know how racist Arkansas was? The house was built for a man from the north, but when he came down here, he wasn't allowed to live in it - because he was black. If I were him I would have burned down the whole city. 

Thomasons Building, North Little Rock

Google Map

Downtown North Little Rock, commonly called the Argenta Arts District, is one of my favorite places in the Little Rock metro. More to come.

"The Standard" Ghost Sign, Nashville

Downtown Nashville

"The Standard" is a restaurant in an ornate, 1840s Italianate townhouse to the left of this sign - apparently Nashville's only remaining of its kind (Photos). It looks to me like there's an older ad underneath the Standard one. The Sears sign from yesterday is on the other side of this building.

"SEARS" Ghost Sign, Nashville

Downtown Nashville.

This one tried to hide from me, the bugger. I don't know if the Sears advertised is the same one that exists now. Did Sears ever sell farm equipment?

Berger Building, Nashville

Downtown Nashville

Please excuse the lack of focus, but this title was just too excellent to pass up. The building was once a Genesco headquarters, a piano shop and a toy museum.

Neoclassical Moon, Nashville

Downtown Nashville

It's the same building as yesterday, but from a different angle and with the moon. Note the variation in column shapes.

Neoclassical building, Nashville

Downtown Nashville

Here is a case where I know nothing about the building in the photograph, but I love the Corinthian columns and dentals along the roof. Mmm.

Ghost Sign, Nashville

Downtown Nashville

Ghost signs are everywhere! I doubt this one is particularly old or historic, but I'll save those for later, and meanwhile, enjoy a pretty sunset view in Nashville.