by ArchitectureWeek

In an urban district of Little Rock along the Arkansas River, the Arkansas Studies Institute occupies a facility befitting the study of state history. Two neglected buildings from the 1880s and 1910s were repaired and combined with a new addition to form one consolidated facility that houses over ten million historic documents.

Operated jointly by a regional public library and a university, the institute is one of five honorees in the 2011 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards, given jointly by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association.

Synergy for Arkansas History

Designed by Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects (now Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects), the Arkansas Studies Institute provides space for research, collections storage, and exhibits in three interconnected buildings.

At the east end of the row is the Porbeck & Bowman Building (1882), a structure of heavy timber and load-bearing brick masonry. To its west stands the Geyer & Adams Building (1914), a poured-concrete building with a brick facade. Over the years, the two structures had housed a variety of functions, including wholesale grocery distributors, a Jewish social hall, a coffee and spice company, and a print shop.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE The Arkansas Studies Institute in Little Rock, Arkansas, is one of five projects recognized in the 2011 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards, a biennial awards program of the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association. Photo: Timothy Hursley Extra Large Image SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Arkansas Studies Institute ground-floor plan drawing. Image: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.