AAC


FEATURE Courthouse


office space, additional courtrooms and judges’ chambers. A passage was appended to the northeast corner providing access to both buildings. Te Classical Beaux-Arts style was chosen for this addition, which was often referred to as the Annex. In 1912, architect George Mann, known for his design of the Arkansas State Capitol, was selected to draw plans. Contractor A.O. Campbell completed the four-story courthouse constructed of Batesville limestone in 1914 at a cost of $566,000. Te building presents a massive, symmetrical form and


Roman architectural elements. Te first floor of the main, northern facade is delineated from the upper two stories through the use of rusticated stonework. Windows on that level are arched with multi-paned lights. Te entrance is accessed via three centered arches leading to a recessed portico. Each arch features transom fans infilled with decorative iron grills above glass double-doors embellished with ironwork. Masculine stonework faces, or mascarons, ornament the keystones above each entry arch, while the keystones above each window display simple scroll patterns. Te second and third stories are composed of smooth limestone blocks and rusticated quoins. Seven rectangular 42 light windows light the second and third stories. On the second floor, rounded stone drip molds top the windows at the east and west side bays of this façade while the five center windows are topped with gabled drip molds. Te center windows are flanked by two-story Ionic pilasters. Short urn balustrades situated in front of each second-story window, provide visual separation from the first floor. Te third floor windows break with the uniformity as they do not utilize drip molds. At the roofline the wide


center cornice is carved with the words “PULASKI COUNTY COURTHOUSE.” Egg and dart detailing and a line of thick modillions


beneath metal hip a projecting


cornice span the northern elevation and the east and west side bays. An urn balustrade surrounds the shallow,


elevations, concealing the fourth floor


windows. Te


roof on all rooftop


centerpiece of the north façade features male and female figures flanking a shield carved with the date 1912. Te shield is embellished with fruit and floral swags. Te interior of the 1914


46 Continued From Page 45 <<<


courthouse is equally as ornate as the Classical exterior. Te center rotunda opens to the second floor and is lit by an intricate stained glass dome that doubled as a skylight. Te second floor opens to the lobby through coffered arches lined with rosettes, each of which hold a clear lightbulb. Sculptural groupings carved by Italian sculptor Giusto Liva and his two sons, Paul and John, are situated at each corner of the rotunda. Te sculptures representing art, justice, agriculture and machinery are placed atop a classical arrangement of architrave, frieze and cornice supported by two-story pink marble Corinthian columns. White marble urn balustrades fill the open arches. Te rotunda features a radiating floor pattern of contrasting pink, grey and brown marble, in the center of which is a bust of Count Pulaski. Other details include scallop shell niches in the rotunda, elevator indicator plaques featuring bas-relief cornucopias, marble and oak wainscoting, barrel vaulted stairwells and plaster bas-relief carving in arch spandrels. Te decorative elements abound in both buildings and provide the pleasure of revealing new details with each visit. Since 1979, Pulaski County has received $319,459 in grants from the Department of Arkansas Heritage for the restoration and preservation of the original 1889 courthouse and the 1914 annex. Pulaski County celebrated its 200th anniversary on


Dec. 4, 2018. Featured speakers included Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, and Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst. Commemorative events will continue throughout 2019.


Among the many programs and services of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is the County Courthouse Restoration Grant Program. Created in 1989, this grant program has helped to extend the lives of courthouses that hold vital links to commu- nity pride and local history. Tese grants are funded through the Real Estate Transfer Tax, administered by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. Since the beginning of the program, the AHPP has awarded $24,721,298 to 79 historic court- houses and courthouse annexes around the state for use in rehabilitating, preserving and protecting these important historic resources. Since 1979, Pulaski County has received eight grants totaling $319,459 for the Pulaski County Courthouse in Little Rock.


AHPP County Courthouse Restoration Grants awarded for Pulaski County Courthouse


FY1979 FY1990


FY1991 FY1992 FY1993 FY2004 FY2006 FY2009


Preparation of development documents; Renovate and restore courthouse Clock tower restoration Clock tower


Clock tower restoration, windows Clock faces Roof (slate)


Roof repair for 1914 addition Condition assessment of skylight (1914 addition)


$25,000 $38,000 $20,000 $22,000 $11,000 $140,134 $46,200 $17,125


COUNTY LINES, FALL 2018


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