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FEATURE
Left: The Richardsonian Romanesque portion of the Pulaski County Courthouse was built in 1889, Top: he interior of the 1889 courthouse features double quarter-turn staircases make of heavy Eastlake cast-iron newel posts and castiron balustrades. Bottom: Both the 1889 and 1914 courthouses have many ornate features.
Ornate Beauties Each visit to the Pulaski Courthouses reveal new architectural details.
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Story and photos by Holly Hope Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
he Pulaski County Courthouse in Little Rock consists of an original 1889 Richardsonian Romanesque building and a 1914 annex constructed in the Beaux Arts style. Both are strikingly beautiful examples of the most popular institutional architecture of their time. Pulaski County was created from the former Missouri Territory in 1818 and was named for Polish Count Casimir Pulaski, who died in the Revolutionary War Battle of Savannah in 1779. County business was originally 44
conducted in the Little Rock Statehouse, constructed in 1842. A building dedicated to a county courthouse was necessary by 1883, as the Statehouse was needed for state government. After a period of occupying a residence and a church, land at the corner of Spring and Second streets was acquired for a two-story building with a basement dedicated solely to Pulaski County government. The Richardsonian Romanesque style was chosen for the new courthouse and architect Max Orlopp, Jr. provided the design. Granite from the Fourche Mountain subdivision in the Ouachita Mountains was chosen for the form, and Orlopp provided a typically exuberant presentation. Contrasting details were exhibited through the use of COUNTY LINES, FALL 2018
