Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office and United States Courthouse

The Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office and United States Courthouse at 617 Walnut Street in Helena-West Helena (Phillips County) is a three-story government building erected in 1961 and designed in the International style of architecture. It was renamed in 2016 to honor Jacob Trieber, an early proponent of civil rights and the first Jewish person to serve on the federal bench.

The first courthouse that served the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, which became the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in 1912, was constructed around 1890 on the northeast corner of Porter and Cherry streets in Helena. By the 1950s, that courthouse was outdated, and plans were made for a new federal building for the district.

The new building was designed by Edward Brueggeman of Little Rock (Pulaski County) and Elmer A. Stuck and Associates of Jonesboro (Craighead County) in 1959, with the first floor designated for use by the U.S. Postal Service, the second floor for use by various federal agencies, and the third to house the U.S. District Court.

The architects chose the International style for the new building, which, the National Register nomination states, is reflected in “its flat roof without a ledge, metal windows set flush with the outer wall, smooth wall surfaces with no decorative detailing at the doors and windows, and its asymmetrical façade.”

In June 1959, the O’Brien and Padgett Construction Company of Memphis, Tennessee, submitted a bid of $713,445 to build the new federal building, considerably lower than the $920,000 that had been estimated for the job. A 1959 steelworkers’ strike delayed construction for about six months, but the building was nearing completion by mid-1961. A formal dedication of the building led by U.S. Representative E. C. “Took” Gathings was held on July 27, 1961. All of the federal agencies were in place in the building by the end of August.

In 2015, Arkansas’s congressional delegation introduced legislation to rename the Helena U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in honor of Jacob Trieber. Trieber was a native of Germany who moved to Helena in 1868. He was appointed as the federal judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas in 1900, becoming the first Jewish person to serve on the federal bench. In his twenty-seven years as district judge, Trieber was an early champion of civil rights, with one legal scholar stating that “he was remarkable for his ability to render justice to all people when that was not popular.” Trieber died in 1927 and is buried in Little Rock’s Oakland and Fraternal Cemetery.

The legislation received bipartisan support in Congress and passed with what U.S. Senator John Boozman described as “a rare celerity.” The building was officially designated as the Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office and Unites States Courthouse on May 20, 2016.

For additional information:
Mulder, Brandon. “Helena Building Named for Judge.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 21, 2016. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/may/21/helena-building-named-for-judge-2016052/ (accessed March 31, 2023).

Wilcox, Ralph S. “Helena U.S. Post Office and Courthouse.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/ph0469_nr-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=da4d7b8b_0 (accessed March 31, 2023).

Mark K. Christ
Central Arkansas Library System