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(Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, A Division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage)
This two-story city hall has a symmetrical classical facade, with four full-height attached Ionic columns on plinths across the front, an entablature, and a balustrade. The design choice is interesting because it is one that was frequently employed for banks in the first two decades of the twentieth century and was intended to give a sense of stability and tradition. The city hall’s interior is finished in white marble with black veining, and a stained glass skylight softy illuminates the interior.
On the next block of N. Main are three buildings that exhibit the architectural variety that make historic urban downtowns so appealing. At 420 N. Main, the Colonial Revival red brick U.S. Post Office (1931, Thompson, Sanders and Ginocchio), which features a semicircular portico, closed in 2010 and was renovated in 2013 by Allison Architects for use as the city’s public library. The two-story brick former Faucette Building (1908; 405 N. Main) was renovated for the Argenta Community Theater in 2011 by Taggart Architects. Next door is a 1940s International Style building highlighted by a wide band of blue glazed tiles between its first and second stories paralleled by a blue tile base and a continuous horizontal window on the upper story.