In the summer of 2024, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership presented the first-ever comprehensive master plan for the development of the capital city’s core, to serve as a roadmap for years to come and to set forth bold goals such as doubling the downtown population by 2035. Such goals require equally bold ideas to bring them to fruition, and Cromwell Architects and Engineers volunteered to take some of the first steps in that direction.
A team of architects from Cromwell, led by Corey Edwards, developed a vision of the great potential held by what is now an empty lot on the corner of Main and 9th Street. The master plan identified large amounts of available and underutilized space in downtown, particularly parking lots, as a significant challenge and opportunity.
The corner of Main and 9th fills a particularly important position at the crossroads of the city’s burgeoning cultural loop; from north to south, Main Street connects the well-developed River Market and Convention Center area, rich with hotels, restaurants, and entertainment, to the greatly revitalized SOMA district. From east to west, 9th Street, historically the city’s “Black Main Street,” connects the recently renovated Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts to the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Where the two meet, one can currently find a barren parking lot owned by the state, but the location is a natural point for something much more.
“We took the liberty of expanding the site a little bit,” Corey said (an act that would be possible with the cooperation of adjacent landowners). “This allowed us to have permanent residences, semi-permanent residences, and space for visitors. So, you’ve got condos for ownership of property, rental properties, and a hotel.”
Another crucial piece of the vertical puzzle was the inclusion of a grocery store; currently, the downtown area lacks sufficient grocery stores that can be easily reached and provide fresh, healthy food. As such, space on the first floor of the design was set aside for a grocery store large enough to support the new residents of the block.
“Tying into the cultural loop, we created a space that would have an art gallery or civic space that would allow people who are going by to stop in. It could be something that shows the history of Little Rock or the culture of the region. That would tie into the hotel, which we were calling a museum hotel; something that would have some significance, not just a [generic chain].”
The design currently calls for approximately 126 apartment and condo units. With multiple occupants in many units, this could easily represent hundreds of long-term residents on a single block, while a proposed 200 hotel rooms could accommodate as many or more visitors. Additionally, the design includes a parking deck with enough space to provide for all of the development’s needs.
“The scheme of the architecture was to be able to look at and understand the program, instead of making it one big block where the exterior looks the same. There’s a lot of buildings in [places like] downtown Chicago where you can’t tell what’s going on in the building. I wanted each block to separate itself to break up the mass.
“The hotel and the retail spaces are very transparent, and then the residential units are a little warmer, with large punched openings so they could either create recesses for balconies or have larger windows and more interior space. Then there’s a rooftop entertainment area that could be shared between the hotel and the apartments/condos. Those are always popular places for people to have a unique view of the city. It would also give you the opportunity to see the SOMA area and single-family residences that are across the interstate,” Corey said.
Such mixed development would create a new node that fills a gap in the city with a vibrant, 24/7 atmosphere that contrasts the workhour-dominated status quo. By both attracting outside visitors and providing for long-term residents, it could be a sustainable and lasting hub for the city, rather than a passing trend. Like an oasis in a desert, Corey also believes that a significant development would create value and synergy to serve as a springboard for future development, drawing greater interest and investment.
It has been well over a decade since a significant new building was constructed in downtown Little Rock. As such, a goal for the architects in building high was not only to create density but to get a crane in the sky. In many prosperous cities around the country, he explained, cranes serve as a symbol that investment in the community is happening. Corey hopes that it could send that message of hope and progress for Little Rock, proof that businesses and people want to be a part of the downtown community.
Although the vision displayed by these renderings came from Cromwell, it will take far more to turn it, and indeed the wider master plan, into a reality. The vision was unveiled in a press release by the Downtown Partnership, and received a great deal of community feedback. Much of it was positive, especially regarding the idea of bringing a new grocery store to the area. Others were critical, or came from the mistaken idea that taxpayer money would be used for the project. In any case, all feedback was welcomed and will continue to be an important resource should the concept move forward. In an interview with KATV Channel 7, Cromwell President Dan Fowler issued a challenge to other businesses and members of the community to step up and give their time to support the city’s improvement.
“Once you get people excited and they can actually see what things can become, people will usually get behind it,” Corey said. “It can’t happen just with Cromwell and the Downtown Partnership. It really needs to be a wider range of people using their talents to make this happen, whether it’s making visions like what we did, or people who understand how to make things happen to fund and execute it.”
