City Hall – Eudora AR

City:
Eudora, AR

Site Type:
Civic Facilities, City and Town Halls

New Deal Agencies:
Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)

Designer:
A.N. McAninch

Description

“By the 1930s, Eudora was substantial enough to need a city hall.  The city turned to the PWA for assistance in constructing the building, and they received a loan of $9,000 and a grant of $6,142, for a total amount of $16,142.  The estimated total cost for the building was $15,697, so the PWA assistance would more than cover the cost of the building.  The money was allotted on January 5, 1936, and by the time the contract was concluded on May 12, 1936, the cost had shrunk to $14,487, which was the amount specified in the contract.[4]  The project was given project number Arkansas 1118R.

Construction began on the building on June 30, 1936, and the design for the building was the creation of Little Rock architect A. N. McAninch.  McAninch designed many buildings for PWA contracts.  Additionally, many of his buildings were designed in the Art Deco style, including the Hempstead County Courthouse (NR listed 5/19/1994), Rison High School (demolished) and St. Anthony’s Hospital in Morrilton, which was originally intended to be a PWA project (NR listed 3/28/1986), although he did use other styles, such as the Gothic Revival for the First Baptist Church in Little Rock (NR listed 8/9/1994).

T. A. Lusinger was the contractor for the building and once construction began, it did not take long for the building to be completed.  Construction was completed less than three months later on October 7, 1936.  The completed building was a good example of the Art Deco style, including decorative geometric and stylized motifs.[5]  The city moved into the building in late 1936, and the building remains in use as city hall today.

Modifications to the building have been minor since it was completed in 1936.  Sometime after 1979, the original front entrances to the building, which were wood doors with multiple panes of glass, were replaced with the current metal plate glass doors.  In addition, a siren has been added to the southwest corner of the building.

Today, the Eudora City Hall is a living reminder of Arkansas’s PWA and New Deal history.  The Eudora City Hall is a good example of the Art Deco style, and illustrates the activities of the PWA in the early twentieth century.  The survival and continued preservation of the Eudora City Hall is a monument to the dedication of the Eudora community.”

Source notes

https://www.arkansaspreservation.com/historic-properties/_search_nomination_popup.aspx?id=2273

Location Info


239 S. Main St.
Eudora, AR 71640

Coordinates: 33.1087864, -91.26191

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