Matthews House (North Little Rock)

In 1928, the Matthews House, promoted as “the modernistic home,” was built in the Park Hill subdivision of North Little Rock (Pulaski County) by the Justin Matthews Company. It was a show house designed for the new subdivision by architect Frank M. Carmean, who has been described as an “exceptional craftsman.”

On May 5, 1929, the house was first opened to the public; a total of 2,781 people visited the house, and hundreds were turned away. According to an advertisement placed by the Justin Matthews Company in that day’s Arkansas Gazette: “This is the first modernistic home to be built in the Southwest and so far as we know the first in the South” and has “a beautiful woodland view to the north and east as well as a view of the twin cities.” A local car dealer provided a Cadillac to complete the garage. An estimated 28,000 people toured the house during the four years it was open to the public. The Arkansas Gazette described the modernistic home as being “built of stucco, brick, concrete and steel. True to the modernistic idea it is made up of squares and cylinders, the staircase and upper and lower halls being in a cylinder.”

In 1929, Carmean told the Arkansas Gazette, “The modernistic home is beautiful, yet simple and practical. In it an effort has been made to provide beauty, harmony and comfort in a pleasingly different way. This style of architecture is not a fad but is here to stay, and in building this home, we are adopting what will be the popular architecture of the next few years.”

Notable features include a five-sided fish/lily pool, a cylindrical staircase, an octagonal bathroom, an Art Deco mantel, and sloped-sided doorways. The house originally had Art Deco furniture and features including textiles.

The house was put on the market in 1929, the year of the stock market crash, and it did not find a buyer. In 1932, Justin Matthews’s son John and daughter-in-law Martha moved into the house. Martha described the house as “way ahead of its time.” They lived there until 1945, when it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Woods. According to the Arkansas Gazette, the new owners “enlarged the upstairs den, extended the roof garden and added space to the dining room and kitchen from the rear.” Additions were consistent with the overall style of the house.

On March 31, 1982, Charley and Carole Baxter bought the house. On August 8, 1983, they nominated the house to the National Register of Historic Places. According to the nomination form, the structure “is a startlingly farsighted local interpretation of the modern movement.” As a final comment, the Baxters wrote: “Having been interested in older and significant homes for a number of years, we have seen very few structures that have retained the character throughout that this home has kept. We intend to maintain this integrity but feel that the home deserves to be recognized as a tribute to the grandeur of the 1920’s in our history.” The house was listed on the National Register on September 29, 1983.

For additional information:
Eidelberg, Martin, ed. Design 1935–1965: What Modern Was. New York: Abrams, 1991.

Epes, Mardi. “House Recognized for International Style.” Arkansas Gazette, October 27, 1983, pp. 1C, 5C.

“Matthews House.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/pu0167-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=587aa457_0 (accessed July 21, 2026).

“Modernistic Home Ready for Visitors.” Arkansas Gazette, May 5, 1929, Part 2, p. 11.

“Site of New Home Is Declared Ideal.” Arkansas Gazette, May 5, 1929, Part 2, p. 10.

Allen McMillan
Little Rock, Arkansas