Summer In The City

I had the day off from work, which meant I had some free time to take a few pictures. I decided to make a return visit to the newly renovated Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts to see what it looked like with the infrared camera.



Maybe one of these days I should actually go inside? But it was neat to see the outside, especially how MacArthur Park was reflected in the large glass windows.



Across the freeway, in the Governor's Mansion Historic District, sits the Hornibrook Mansion. The home was built in 1888 and has been called the "best example of ornate Victorian Architecture in Arkansas and the most important existing example of Gothic Queen Anne style regionally." The house was built for James H. Hornibrook, who was a saloon keeper. He waited until his competitor Angelo Marre completed his home (now the Villa Marre), so that he could built a more extravagant home. But unfortunately, Hornibrook died of a stroke at the age of 49 shortly after the house was completed. In 1897, the house was used for a women's college. It sat empty during the Depression, but was converted into a nursing home in 1948. It then became apartments, and then a private residence again. In 1994, it was restored into a fancy bed and breakfast, and is now called the "Empress of Little Rock."



Nearby is another one of the city's great old homes. The Hotze House was constructed in 1900 in the Beaux-Arts style, and is "adorned with beveled glass, Honduran mahogany staircases, intricately inlaid parquet floors, interiors affixed by Tiffany's of New York, and a massive semi-circular portico supported by two pairs of fluted columns." The house is currently up for sale, with an asking price of about $1.5 million. And honestly if I had that much, I'd take it.



And for a little change of pace, here's a view of downtown Little Rock. It was taken from the 15th floor of the Simmons Tower.



I passed by this abandoned building, and got a quick shot of this old rusty door.



Which was by this abandoned house, surrounded by overgrown brush.



And then I made one last stop at the Lee Theater, an old movie theater that was built in 1940. It's now been abandoned for several decades, and the roof has collapsed.



For more on its history, and its ties to segregation, click HERE.