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Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

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1947–1950, Ginocchio and Cromwell; 2000–2002 alterations. 1800 S. Center St.
  • (Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, A Division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, Ralph Wilcox, photographer)

In the early twentieth century, new residential neighborhoods spread increasingly farther south of downtown. One of the grandest houses in this neighborhood is the official residence of the governor of Arkansas. It was built on the site of the Arkansas School for the Blind, which had moved to new quarters in 1939. The architectural firm founded by Charles L. Thompson and headed in the late 1940s by Frank Ginocchio and Edwin Cromwell (Thompson’s son-in-law) designed the mansion, and William E. Heerwagen designed the interiors. Edward and Barney L. Elias’s Tri-State Construction Company built the house. The monumental pedimented portico was chosen, reputedly, to complement the Greek Revival features of the Old State House (PU8). Colonnaded walkways link the house to a guest house to the west and an office to the east. In 2008, Little Rock landscape architect P. Allen Smith re-landscaped the grounds with a parterre garden and flower beds. Since its completion, the Governor’s Mansion has housed all of Arkansas’s chief executives, including former President Bill Clinton during his twelve years as governor (1978–1980 and 1982–1992).

Writing Credits

Author: 
Cyrus A. Sutherland with Gregory Herman, Claudia Shannon, Jean Sizemore Jeannie M. Whayne and Contributors
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Data

What's Nearby

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
Peter Hotze House
The Empress of Little Rock (Hornibrook House)
John R. and Lillian Fordyce House
Villa Marre

Citation

Cyrus A. Sutherland with Gregory Herman, Claudia Shannon, Jean Sizemore Jeannie M. Whayne and Contributors, "Arkansas Governor’s Mansion", [Little Rock, Arkansas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/AR-01-PU38.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Arkansas

Buildings of Arkansas, Cyrus A. Sutherland and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018, 137-137.

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