Albert Pike Residence Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Albert Pike Hotel
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The Albert Pike Residence Hotel.
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 Location in Arkansas
Location in the United States
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| Location | 701 S. Scott St., Little Rock, Arkansas |
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| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Eugene John Stern, George R. Mann |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Mission/spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000625 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1978 |
The Albert Pike Residence Hotel is a historic building in Little Rock, Arkansas. It stands at 701 South Scott Street. This building has a long and interesting history. It has been a hotel, a retirement community, and now offers apartments.
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About the Albert Pike Hotel
The Albert Pike Hotel is named after a famous person from Arkansas. It was built a long time ago, in 1929. The building is known for its special design. It has been an important part of Little Rock for many years.
Building Design
The hotel was built in 1929. It cost about $1 million to build. The architect, Eugene John Stern, designed it. He used a style called Italian-Spanish Revival. This means it looks like old buildings from Italy and Spain.
The building has two main parts, called wings. Each wing is eight stories tall. They reach out towards Scott Street. A ten-story section connects these two wings at the back.
You can see decorated stone shapes above the roof. These are in the middle of each wing. The main entrances have a porch that looks like a cloister. Next to the doors are windows with three arches. These windows have special leaded glass.
Above the entrances, there are round clay decorations. These are called terra cotta medallions. They show shields with the letters "AP" on them. Inside, the hotel has many fancy details. These include painted designs, stained glass windows, and decorative tiles. There is also iron work and beautiful light fixtures.
The main lobby has a special ceiling. It's called a coffered ceiling, which means it has sunken panels. This lobby is two stories high. An open floor above it, called a mezzanine, looks down on the lobby. This area has old furniture. It even has a custom-made grand piano. This piano was made to match the building's style.
Who Was Albert Pike?
The hotel is named after Albert Pike. He was an important person in Arkansas history. Pike was a teacher and a lawyer. He also worked as a newspaperman. During the Civil War, he was a Brigadier General for the Confederacy. Later, he became a judge on the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Albert Pike was also a well-known member of the Freemasons. This is a very old and private group. His writings were important to a part of the Freemasons called the Scottish Rite.
A New Purpose
The building was a hotel from 1929 until 1971. In December 1971, the Second Baptist Church bought it. They started a new project called the Albert Pike Residence Hotel ministry. Their goal was to create a happy home for older people. It was meant to be a family-like retirement community.
In 1976, the hotel got a special loan. This loan was for $2.4 million. It came from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This money helped to fix up the hotel. It made sure the building met modern fire and safety rules.
Protecting History
The Albert Pike Hotel is a very important building. In 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes buildings that are important to American history. The United States Department of the Interior manages this list.
A grant from the Historical Preservation Society also helped. This money was used to restore the public areas. It made them look like they did when the hotel first opened.
Modern Updates
In late 1985, a private company bought the hotel. This company is from Jonesboro, Arkansas. Since then, they have made many improvements. They added kitchens to some apartments. These apartments were made from two hotel rooms that had connecting doors. Rooms without connecting doors became studio apartments. These studios have microwave-refrigerator units.
The North Lounge was fixed up in 1994. It became a smoke-free area. This room is a common space for activities. It has a television lounge and a library. Residents can also get their mail there. The hotel holds regular events for residents. These include health talks and community service information. They also have weekly bingo games. Monthly birthday parties and holiday parties are also popular events.
