Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal
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Tower Building
of the Little Rock Arsenal |
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The north front of the Tower Building in 2007
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| Location | 503 East Ninth Street Little Rock, Arkansas |
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| Coordinates | 34°44′17.98″N 92°15′45.03″W / 34.7383278°N 92.2625083°WCoordinates: 34°44′17.98″N 92°15′45.03″W / 34.7383278°N 92.2625083°W |
| Built | 1841 |
| Architect | John Warmley Walker |
| Website | MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History |
| Part of | MacArthur Park Historic District (#77000269) |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000127 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1970 |
| Designated CP | July 25, 1977 |
The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal, also known as the Main Building of the U.S. Arsenal at Little Rock, or Headquarters Building of the Little Rock Barracks, is the home of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. It is also a part of the MacArthur Park Historic District, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Built between 1840 and 1841, it was part of Little Rock's first U.S. military installation. Since decommissioning, the building has housed two local museums. It was home to the Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities from 1942 to 1997 and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History since 2001. It has also housed the Little Rock Æsthetic Club since 1894. The building receives its name from its distinct octagonal tower. Besides being the last remaining structure of the original U.S. military installation and one of the oldest buildings in central Arkansas, it was also the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur, who became the supreme commander of U.S. forces in the South Pacific during World War II. It was also the starting place of the Camden Expedition during the American Civil War.
The building and the surrounding park were used for many public purposes throughout the early 20th century. The Tower Building served as headquarters for the United Confederate Veterans Reunion, May 15–18, 1911. Over 106,000 Civil War veterans, the largest popular gathering in the history of the city up to that time, attended and were housed in the building or camped in the park, which had also become a popular camping area. Later the building served as an armory for the Arkansas National Guard. In 1912, the second floor of the Tower Building became Little Rock's first public library. In 1917, Little Rock built a fire station in the park. A band shell named for H. H. Foster also was built in the park during this time, but no longer exists. In 1936, Works Progress Administration built the Museum of Fine Arts, now called the Arkansas Arts Center, just south of the Tower Building.
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