Conway County courthouse makes architectural statement

Above: The Conway County Courthouse, built between 1929 and 1930 and designed by Frank W. Gibb of Little Rock, is architecturally significant because it shows the growing influence of the Art Deco aesthetic on the Classical Revival style that swept the nation in the early 20th century.

Making a Statement

Conway County courthouse touts both Classical and Art Deco elements.

Story by Mark Christ s Photos by Holly Hope Arkansas Historic Preservation Program

With its unique synthesis of Classical and Art Deco elements, the Conway County Courthouse at Moose and Church streets in Morrilton is one of the most architecturally significant seats of county government in Arkansas, which is appropriate for a county that has been home to politicians as diverse as Marlin Hawkins and Winthrop Rockefeller. Since 1989, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has worked with county leaders to preserve and restore the 1929-30 building through the County Courthouse Restoration Grant program, which uses funds from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

Arkansas’ Territorial Legislature created Conway County from part of Pulaski County on Oct. 20, 1825, and named it for territorial Congressman Henry Wharton Conway, a member of the “family” that controlled Arkansas politics — an omen, perhaps, for the county’s later colorful political history. Cadron was made the temporary county seat until a permanent seat could be established. In 1828, county government met in the home of Stephen Harris in Welborn Township, but it moved to Lewisburg (near the site of modern Morrilton) in 1831 and court was held in “a log building of small dimensions and rude construction.” After parts of Conway County were peeled off to form Pope and Perry counties, the seat of government was moved to Springfield. The original courthouse there was destroyed — along with most of the town — by an April 12, 1858, tornado, and a substantial two-story courthouse was built for around $10,000 the next year; this one survived for four years, only to

Top left: The Conway County Courthouse was built of brick, terra cotta and “Batesville marble” and features Doric columns that are attached but only half round. Bottom left: The courthouse interior includes artist Richard Sargent’s mural “Men at Rest,” which was created for the Morrilton Post Office through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Depression-era Section of Fine Arts. It was moved to the courthouse on Jan. 29, 2002. Right: The courthouse plan is rectangular in style, and the interior features marble staircases, steps and wainscoting.

be burned during the Civil War.

A new courthouse went up in Springfield in 1869 on the site of the previous building, and it served until the state General Assembly moved the county seat back to Lewisburg in 1873. It would finally move to Morrilton, a destination cemented when the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad (later the Missouri Pacific) laid its tracks through that town. A two-story brick courthouse was built there in 1883-84, and it housed county government until fire destroyed it on Jan. 2, 1927.

Attempts to let contracts for a new courthouse resulted in a political brouhaha that continued into 1928 when T.J. Moore, an opponent of those contracts, was elected county judge. An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution approved in the same election allowed counties to hold elections for special taxes to finance jail and courthouse construction, which led to the erection of the current Conway County Courthouse.

The prolific architect Frank W. Gibb of Little Rock, who designed 18 Arkansas county courthouses, was hired to design Conway County’s new seat, and contractor John P. Jones was hired as contractor from among nine bidders. The building would cost $97,000, which included the brick, terra cotta and “Batesville marble” used in construction. The construction supervisor for the project was Sam Davies, who a few years later would be instrumental in the Civilian Conservation Corps’ building of Petit Jean State Park. It was completed ahead of schedule and dedicated on March 30, 1930, a speech-heavy ceremony attended by some 5,000 visitors.

The new courthouse was a striking structure, with Classical half columns highlighting a rectangular plan and an interior featuring marble staircases, steps and wainscoting. Architectural historian Kenneth Story wrote of Gibbs’ design: “The Conway County Courthouse is the best and possibly the only local example of what can only be termed a transitional interpretation of the Classical Revival style which had swept the nation in the early 20th century. … The Doric columns are attached and thus only half-round, the pilaster capitals are simple and restrained, and none of the detail projects significantly to interrupt the

Courthouse

flatness of the wall plane. This may be the only design by Gibb to show clearly the growing influence of the Art Deco aesthetic on the Classical vocabulary, which would later become so popular around Arkansas and the rest of the nation, and particularly in the design of public buildings.”

The Conway County Courthouse remains the seat of government today, and its grounds feature monuments to local men who served in World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, as well as a 1979 time capsule. The interior includes artist Richard Sargent’s mural “Men at Rest,” which was created in 1938-9 for the Morrilton Post Office through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Depression-era Section of Fine Arts. It was moved to the courthouse on Jan. 29, 2002. The Conway County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 13, 1989.

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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 community pride and local history. These 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 more than $21.25 million to 70 historic courthouses and courthouse annexes around the state for use in rehabilitating, preserving and protecting these important historic resources. Since 1989, Conway County has received nine grants totaling $528,092 for the Conway County Courthouse.

Arkansas Historic Preservation Program County Courthouse Restoration Grants awarded to Conway County FY1989 Rehabilitation Master Plan $5,000 FY1990 Restore Entry Porch $18,500 FY1991 Restore Doors $10,000 FY1992 Clean and repoint Masonry $15,000 FY1993 Clean and Repoint Masonry, Replace Windows, Restore Sidewalk $10,000 FY2002 Install Elevator $146,000 FY2008 Restore West Facade Windows $90,900 FY2011 Roof and Window Restoration $72,692 FY2014 Repoint Parapet/Terra Cotta, Window Restoration $160,000

TOTAL: $528,092