Curran Hall
Curran Hall is the name given to the historic Walters-Curran-Bell House constructed by Colonel Ebenezer Walters in 1842. The house was a gift to Colonel Walter's new bride, Mary Eliza Starbuck. The house was also the home of James Moore Curran and spouse Sophie Fulton. Sophie Fulton was the daughter of William Savin Fulton, the last territorial governor of Arkansas and the state's first U.S. Senator. The house was later owned by Mary Eliza Woodruff Bell, daughter of Arkansas Gazette founder William E. Woodruff.
The house was acquired by the City of Little Rock in 1996 and became the Little Rock Visitor Information Center in May 2002. The Little Rock Visitor Foundation paid for part of the restoration efforts through a half million dollar donation. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette donated $15,000 for porch repairs.
On March 12, 2007, management of the Hall was moved to the Quapaw Quarter Association after the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau indicated that it no longer had need of the facility, and felt that it was too far away from the main tourist sites in the city. The Clinton School of Public Service had also indicated an interest in the structure for expanded classroom space, but was rebuffed by the Little Rock Visitor Foundation.
The house is located at 615 East Capitol Avenue in the MacArthur Park Historic District.
References
- Matthew S.L. Cate, "LR Visitors Bureau Sees Sites as Worth Expense," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 11, 2007.
- Kristin Netterstrom, "Group Renews Lease for Curran Hall Site," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 11, 2008.
