Little Rock, Arkansas' roots are derived from a small rock formation located on the south bank of the Arkansas River. Aptly named "Little Rock," this landmark is located at the foot of what is now Rock Street, which was the focus of business activity in the early 1820s. As Little Rock grew into Arkansas' largest city and eventual capital, the business district remained concentrated near a steamboat landing on the Arkansas River below the "Little Rock." As the area grew and expanded south of the landing, the area encompassing the building where ArtSpace now stands became the business center of Little Rock.
Following the Civil War, a building boom in Little Rock resulted in the construction of many new commercial buildings on the street once called East Markham Street, now known as President Clinton Avenue. This business boom also led to the expansion of the business district toward the south and west. With the location of three railroads on the north bank of the Arkansas River in the 1870s, the steamboat landing at the foot of Rock Street lost much of its importance in the commerce of the city. However, construction of a railroad bridge across the river at the "Little Rock" provided East Markham Street with direct access to the rail lines and spurred construction of a freight depot, passenger depot, and numerous business warehouses. The East Markham Street area gradually became a wholesale/warehouse district and its use as such was at its peak from about 1910 through the 1920s.
301 President Clinton Avenue, now home to River Market ArtSpace, is believed to have been constructed c.1876. In addition to the wholesale businesses in the area, there were a large number of buildings whose second floors were hotels with first floor storefronts occupied by restaurants and saloons.
Originally one building encompassing street numbers 301-303 and 305-307, the building was operated as the Adams House (hotel). In 1884 it became known as the Commercial Hotel, and in 1888, Captain Jack Baker operated the Baker Hotel at this location. By 1892, the name had changed to Hotel Brunswick, but in 1894 the building was extensively damaged by a tornado. However, the 1897 Sanborn Fire Insurance maps indicate a Female Boarding House on the second floor, indicating that the property was not totally destroyed in the tornado.
The tile entryway today, after restoration
The building, in years past and during restoration...
From the time of its construction, the building has housed a saloon, restaurant, and liquor store on its first floor. When statewide prohibition of alcoholic beverages became effective January 1, 1916, the character of Little Rock’s wholesale district dramatically changed. During this time, following the prohibition, in which the formerly prosperous saloon and liquor businesses were closed, many of the buildings in the East Markham Street area were converted into other types of business establishments. The Arkansas Gazette stated in an article on April 2, 1916 that the building at 301-307 East Markham had been occupied as a saloon for forty years – Max Klkan's Place, Lochheim's, and L.A. Pollock’s saloon. The Gazette article reported that the building "was a landmark of the city in the saloon business."
The western portion of the building was reconstructed in 1916, as designed by architect Charles L. Thompson. This reconstruction effort was a direct result of the change prohibition had brought about to the business community along East Markham Street. A long-term tenant, the Ben D. Schaad Company, who occupied the building until the late 1930s, instigated the 1916 construction. The Schaad Company displayed and sold heavy machinery and equipment such as saw mills, cotton gins, and gasoline and steam engines.
The 1916 design of the building by Charles L. Thompson gave it its Craftsman façade, which remains a strong architectural characteristic. As a result of the reconstruction of the western portion of the building in 1916, what had been one building, essentially became two.
The Ben D. Schaad Company moved from the building in the late 1930s and in the decades since, it has been occupied by Hollis and Company Mill Supplies, the General Electric Supply Company, Wooley Electric Company, Arkansas Radio and Appliance Company, Dailey Office Furniture Store, the Ellis Melton Company (1960 - 1989), Paul Morrell Formal Wear, Copy Systems, and the Galaxy Furniture Company. After extensive renovations by the Melton family, 301 President Clinton Avenue reopened in 1997 when Susan Strauss opened River Market ArtSpace. The gallery has been in existence since that time, although changing ownership when Debra Wood purchased the gallery in June 2002.
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
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