Vaults of Knowledge

Craigshead Public Library in 1964

      Not too far from the lively downtown of Jonesboro, AR sits the Craighead County Public Library. This interesting Modernist building is nestled in a beautiful historic neighborhood, in contrast to the charming Victorian and Craftsman houses all around it. Rather like Little Rock and Fayetteville, Jonesboro was a center for Mid-Century Modern architecture. The presence of a significant university in all three cities was probably a factor in this development. However, there were also very progressive architectural firms in all three cities as well. In the case of Jonesboro, the firm of Stuck, Frier, Lane, Scott Inc., now Stuck & Associates, who created many works of Modern architecture across the city, and all down the Arkansas Delta. Many of their works in Jonesboro reside on the campus of Arkansas State University, but they also created several fantastic examples around the city, many for the city of Jonesboro. The Craigshead County Library was one of these buildings.
   Stuck Frier Lane Scott Inc. designed this building as the fourth in a series of libraries that had moved around downtown Jonesboro from its founding in 1917 until this building was completed in 1964. The original location was in a commercial space at Union and Huntington, the following two were both located in houses. However, only one of the former library locations survives today, a stately house at Elm and Main, but I digress. It became evident by the late 1950's that a new library building was necessary to house the expanding needs of the county library. It was decided that a building in the Modernist style was preferable due to the up to date and "modern" image that such a building would provide to the city of Jonesboro and to the county as a whole.
    The firm of Stuck Frier Lane Scott Inc. was a firm with a progressive reputation. They paid constant attention to the national architectural publications and architectural trends, after all architectural ideas do not appear out of thin air. This is seen in their Craig Ellewood inspired former office building on Southwest Boulevard, but that is a building for another post. Anyhow, I mention all of this to say that the inspiration for the design of the library likely came from the work of one of the recognizable Modernist architects in the country, Minoru Yamasaki, architect of the late World Trade Center Towers. In 1961 a building designed by Yamasaki was completed in Lansing, MI on the campus of Michigan State University. The Michigan State Medical Society Building was a stunning prototype for many of the his future design motifs, and a fantastic case study for the firm.

Michigan State Medical Society Building, 1961

The similarities between the two buildings are pretty obvious at a glance. They both take advantage of the plastic properties that were inherent in concrete which were starting to be experimented with during the Mid-Century period by architects. The most recognizable examples were produced by Eero Saarinen, such as the TWA Terminal (1962) at Idlewild and Dulles Airport (1962) in Washington D.C.. However, the work of Yamasaki used this material in new and exciting forms well before these works by Saarinen,as seen in Yamasaki's design for the Lambert - St. Louis International Terminal (1955).

Lambert - St. Louis International Terminal, 1955

Like Saarinen's TWA, Yamasaki created a concrete shell which took advantage of the ancient architectural technology of the arch to span large areas with minimal supports. It was this experiment with concrete that allowed Yamasaki to do his later designs, such as the Medical Society Building. I say all of this to eventually say that it is very possible and probable that Sid Frier of Stuck Frier Lane Scott, Inc., had come across photos and write ups of the Medical Society Building which influenced the design for this building. However, there is an example that was closer to home that may have also served as the inspiration for the design of the library. In 1961, same year the Medical Society Building, First National Bank of Wynne completed a new building to house their operations. Unfortunately, I know very little about this building, I don't even know the architectural firm that created the design. That being said, I do know that Stuck Frier Lane Scott Inc. did have a presence in the town of Wynne, given the series of other buildings in Wynne designed by the firm. Even if this wasn't the case, the proximity of the First National Bank to Jonesboro, being that they are only 46 miles apart, would be enough to infer a connection.

First National Bank of Wynne, 1961

    The arches of the building are definitely the star of the design for the library, however there is another element in the design that speaks to an icon of Modern design. The round structure that sits at the back corner of the building houses the auditorium for the library. Now to the average person this form is a complete anomaly, however, to the architectural historian this is likely a reference to Philip Johnson's 1949 Glass House.

Glass House, 1949

The house is based on the work of Mies van der Rohe, specifically his Farnsworth House (1945-1951). The exception to this is a cylindrical form in the center of the house. This space holds the bathroom for the house, and was intentionally designed to be an anomaly. Johnson thought that the form added a needed break from the rigid grid and straight lines of the Miesian form. Now this isn't quite the same situation in the library, instead it could be seen as an extension of the rest of the building. The barrel vaults are perfect half cylinders, and the auditorium is a full circle. Similarly the materials of each element is complimentary. The arches are made of concrete, as previously discussed, which is counter-intuitive to the typically rigid nature of concrete. The same is true of the round structure.
   Now I would like to say that pointing out the possible inspirations for this design does not in any way take away from the beauty of this building, or the originality of the design. Each of these three buildings serve different purposes and the reasons behind the choice of this design style were all different. I cannot speak as to the efficiency of the designs for the other buildings, however this form was ideal for the use as a library. The reason for this is the open space that is allowed by the arch design, which requires minimal interior supports. This feature allows for the insertion of scores of bookshelves to appear seamless and only natural. Of course, classical forms are natural pairings for the typology of the library.

Craigshead County Public Library interior

       The Craigshead County Public Library was a remarkable example of a local interpretation of the Expressionist style of Mid-Century Modern architecture. However, the ever expanding needs of the library, have led to two significant additions/alterations to the building. While these changes were made in order to accommodate the life of the library, which has ensured the continual use of the building, they have also made it impossible for this building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This being said, this building is still a remarkable example of a rare architectural form in this state, and a stunning public library that serves as a monument to the long legacy of the Craigshead County Public Library.

TWA Terminal at Idlewild, 1962

Dulles International Airport, 1962

Farnsworth House, 1945-1951

Mies-ian Style comes to Little Rock

The KTHV Building upon its completion in 1954

 Actual Modern architecture, referring here to the stylistic movement in architecture rather simply "modern" meaning current, is a rare find outside of major metropolitan areas in America. The big names in architecture from that period, such as Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Eero Saarinen, and Richard Nuetra, tended to stay on the coasts or in Chicago. Be that as it may, here is an exceptional example of High Modern architecture in Arkansas. It is the KTHV Channel 11 Building at the corner of Izard and West 8th Streets. The building was constructed for television station in 1954 and designed by Dietrich Heyland of Crowell Architects, although it was called Ginocchio, Cromwell, and Associates at the time. This is the same firm that was partially founded by renowned Arkansas architect, Charles L. Thompson, but I digress. Heyland was from Louisiana original, graduating from Tulane University. After college he spent some time in California working under the famed Modernist Richard Nuetra. In 1950, he was recuited by Edwin Cromwell and moves to Arkansas. Shortly afterwards Neyland designed the KTHV Building. This building is in line with the almost minimalist work of Mies van der Rohe in his design for the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL, and more specifically in his design of S.R. Crown Hall (1950-1956) on that campus.

Mies van der Rohe's design for S.R. Crown Hall at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago

The glass curtain wall with exterior exposed structural supports and raised basements were trademark features Mies van der Rohe's work at this time. All of these features are also seen in the KTHV Building. The Modern features of this building are significant not only because they are so blatantly Modern in character but because the KTHV building was completed in Arkansas two years before Crown Hall was completed in Chicago. Despite the common conception that Arkansas is always behind the times on style, this building, along with the creation of the Arkansas Power and Light Building the year before, is evidence that Arkansas was actually right in line with the architectural mentality of the times, if not a bit ahead of it.

    While KTHV has done some renovations on the interior of the building, they have keep the exterior of the building in more or less the same form as it was in upon its completion in 1954, with the exceptions of some mild deterioration and paint color changes on the exterior. KTHV should be giving props for preserving the character of this historic building even though there is almost no public interest or attention given to it. Hopefully, this building will soon be recognized as the truly historically significant structure that it is and will continue to be a remarkable example of High Modern architecture in Arkansas for many years to come. 

The East and North facades of the KTHV Building as they look today.

The South and East facades of the KTHV Building as they look today.

For further reading, please check out the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTHV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.R._Crown_Hall

http://www.aetn.org/midcenturymodern/beforeafter

Hidden Mid-Century Modern Beauty

     There is a small, quiet little neighborhood just off North Street in Fayetteville that is home to a very attractive Mid-Century Modern house. The house was designed by local Fayetteville architect Dale Holland and was built in 1963. It sits on the side of hill over looking the small but charming Lake Lucille. The hill blocks the noise coming from College Avenue, which is only a block away, so that the natural beauty of the area is all that you pay attention to. The house itself displays several characteristics of Mid-Century Modern residential architecture in this part of the country. The living room feature floor to ceiling windows to draw the outside in and the bedrooms all have large windows to allow in light and breezes on a nice days.

The large deck with lake views

This coupled with the wide spread use of natural stone and wood has the effect of blurring the lines between outdoors and in. This blur in enhanced by the expansive deck that surrounds the lakeside of the house providing a comfortable place to relax when you decide to engage the outdoors. A small courtyard, just off the den, creates a natural, meditative space in which the home owners can unwind after a long day of work. All of these features, combined with openness of the floor plan, create what Richard Neutra called a healthy house. The house recently under went a renovation and updating, but the owners tried to preserve the Mid-Century Modern character of the house by simply accenting the stunning existing features of the house, as well as update the utilities and amenities to a modern standard of luxury. All in all, I would have to say that it was a very successful project and now the house will be able to continue sheltering a family in beautiful Modern fashion for years to come.

Living Room with original natural stone wood-burning fireplace and original stone floors.

Den with a view of the rear courtyard

Master bedroom with stone columns and hardwood floors

Caudle Overlook - Arkansas River overlook above the Russellville Lock and Dam

Here is a great hidden gem in Russellville, AR. This is the Caudle Overlook that sits above the Russellville Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River. It gives a nice shady spot for picnics and also provides much appreciated restrooms. It is located near the Caudle Overlook and Shepherd's Fields Bike Trail. The wooded area creates the perfect setting for this Modern gem. The gentle curve of the floating plane echos the work of Eero Saarinen  while the decorative textile blocks remind you of the work of E.D. Stone. The over-sized masonry wall at the rear of the restrooms helps to provide a sense of privacy the obviously private spaces behind it, while reinforcing the Modernist design aesthetics  The railing is an obvious recent addition but it does not distract too much from the lovely Modernism it is attached to. The building was constructed in the late 1960's but was not dedicated until 1971. It was dedicated to Mr. Reese Caudle due to his efforts and influence in the construction of the Arkansas River Lock and Dam system.