Lincoln Building

The Lincoln Building, located at the corner of South Main Street and 15^th in Little Rock (Pulaski County), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1994. Constructed in 1905 by C. J. Lincoln, a Little Rock drug wholesaler, the two-story red brick commercial building was designed for retail businesses on the first floor and living quarters in three apartments on the second floor.

The Lincoln Building was the first commercial structure in the South Main Street Commercial Historic District (SMSCHD). It was designed in the Neoclassical style, a style which was continued in the Cohn Building at the southwest corner of 12^thand South Main Street, the present-day home of Community Bakery.

Originally, the corner entrance of the Lincoln Building was the home of Dawson Drug Store, complete with a soda fountain. A butcher shop occupied the north side. Gooch and Company (Edward M. and Bernice B. Gooch, Harry W. Wagner) grocers occupied another part of the building.

The Neoclassical style of this building is typical of turn-of-the-century commercial buildings in Little Rock. Facing west and south are three window storefronts with fixed transoms of multi-pane windows. The second story directly above each transom consists of wood-framed windows along the western, southeastern, and southern elevations. Each is arched by a row of soldier bricks to provide support for the sills and lintels. Projected raised pilasters of brick support each bay. The pilasters are capped with a metal Corinthian capital.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Little Rock’s Main Street had many small commercial buildings similar to the Lincoln Building, but most were replaced by larger commercial developments. The Lincoln Building is historically significant because it is one of the few remaining designed in the Neoclassical style.

In 1993, R. Dugan King bought the Lincoln Building from architect John D. Jarrard and his wife, Anne, for $97,500. King, a longtime downtown resident who wanted to rebuild the neighborhood, planned to restore the exterior and convert it into law office suites. Through the efforts of Anita Davis, this area has been revitalized, with the addition of Bernice Park and the purchase of other commercial buildings on Main Street. The building is occupied by the Green Corner Store, which sells environmentally-friendly goods, as of 2013.

For additional information:
“Lincoln Building.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/PU3519.nr.pdf (accessed October 27, 2021).

“South Main Street Commercial Historic District.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/PU0073.nr.pdf (accessed October 27, 2021).

Jerry L. Shue Sr.
North Little Rock, Arkansas