Vacant Paint Manufacturing Facility in Little Rock AR

Stebbins and Roberts Office Building and Factory, Little Rock Arkansas

Date added: December 01, 2024

Categories:
Arkansas
Industrial

South elevation of Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory, looking northeast toward main entrance (2016)

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The Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory was the main office and factory of a locally important manufacturer and distributor of high-quality paints and related products. The company had a presence in Little Rock and the surrounding region for over fifty years, and their products were used in high-profile commissions. The building was the work of prominent Arkansas architects H. Ray Burks and Bruce Roy Anderson.

Prior to construction, the site was vacant, and the surrounding area contained several industrial concerns and multiple arms of the Missouri Pacific and Rock Island railroad lines.

The office wing and factory were constructed in 1947 to house a local paint company, Stebbins and Roberts. At that time, the office wing contained general offices, retail space and a lobby, with auxiliary functions such as a supply room, shipping department, filing room, and kitchen located along the south perimeter wall of the factory wing. The remainder of the factory housed manufacturing functions such as mixing machines, printing machines, shipping equipment, and storage. The east addition was constructed in 1971 when the company needed additional warehouse space. When constructed, the main building occupied the westernmost portion of a larger industrial site occupied by Stebbins & Roberts. To the east of the building were additional paint manufacturing and storage buildings, and varnish tanks and cookers, all of which occupied separate parcels along the north side of East 6^th Street that are no longer extant. The small building adjacent to the parking lot on the east side of the building once housed pigments, but was partially demolished in recent decades.

The site continued to serve Stebbins & Roberts until 1997, when the company ownership changed hands and the name was changed to Sterling Paint.

In 1914, A.H. Stebbins and Gardener Goldsmith started a modest sign painting business in the basement of a small commercial building on West 6^th Street in downtown Little Rock. In 1916 they expanded to manufacturing a small line of paints, operating as Stebbins & Goldsmith, renting the retail space above the basement workshop. In 1919, Lindsey Roberts, the son of a well-known Pulaski County plantation owner, bought Goldsmith's interests, changing the name of the company to Stebbins & Roberts. The company expanded their retail operation and began producing a larger line of paints, "S&G Brand", which was quickly acquired by the Benjamin Moore Company. Stebbins & Roberts then became the sole distributors of Benjamin Moore paints in Arkansas. The company expanded, placing sales agents in many towns around Arkansas, selling Benjamin Moore paints, linseed oil, and wallpapers. In 1923, Stebbins reported that the company sold "32 carloads" of paint and wallpaper. In a 1924 newspaper article about the company, Stebbins stated that the "volume of his business is evidence beyond doubt of prosperity in general in Little Rock as well as the smaller towns of the state," and credited the Post-World War I construction boom for a growth in sales. By spring of 1924, the company carried a stock worth $85,000. In 1924 a newspaper article about the company, Stebbins stated that he attributed their success to their policy of carrying only "high-class lines of paint, paint products, and wall paper, and to their methods of pushing business through distributors scattered all over the state and to plenty of advertising in the newspapers." Indeed, Stebbins and Roberts placed advertisements at least three times per week in the local newspapers, and would continue to do so through the 1950s. Stebbins was elected president of the Little Rock Paint Dealers Association in 1925.

Articles of incorporation were filed for Stebbins & Roberts, Inc. in 1927 by A.H. Stebbins, his wife Hilda Stebbins, and Clara Langer. The total amount of the authorized capital stock was $75,000, with $50,000 capital in place to begin business. The certificate of incorporation states that the nature of the business is "the wholesale and retail purchase and sale of paints, oils and varnishes, paint accessories and materials, wall paper and novelties." The company prospered after incorporation, and was often prominently featured in The Arkansas Gazette. In addition to numerous advertisements placed by Stebbins & Roberts, exposure was given to the company in the form of interview-style advertorials, such as a 1928 article titled "Tinting of Walls is Highly Recommended," published in the Real Estate and Industry section. In the article, Stebbins describes one of the products sold by his company, describing its "refreshing, dainty shades" and stating that the chosen colors of interior walls can be "an influence for good" for the people who are surrounded by them.

In 1931, Stebbins purchased all of Lindsey Roberts's shares in the company. New articles of incorporation filed in 1944 indicate the business expanded, listing "the processing and/or manufacture from raw and other materials … of paints, oils, varnishes, enamels, putty and similar or associated products." By that time, the company had a retail operation out of its original W. 6^th Street location, and had warehouses and manufacturing facilities in east Little Rock, at E. 6^th and Thomas streets.

After World War II, Stebbins & Roberts experienced massive growth, with 1946 being the most lucrative year in the company's history, and they were selling products in eight surrounding states. This was most likely due to the surge in housing construction for returning soldiers. To accommodate this growth, Stebbins & Roberts built a new office and factory building in the East End, near their existing warehouse facilities. At this time, A.H. Stebbins's son, A.H. Stebbins, Jr., was on the board of the company, with the second-highest amount of shares. Other board members included Hilda Stebbins and J. Sterling Adamson, a longtime employee of the company. The construction of the new building was announced in The Arkansas Gazette in May of 1947, stating that a building permit had been obtained and the cost of the brick and concrete building would be $100,000. H. Ray Burks, the architect for the project, explained in the article that the "greater portion of 21,000 square feet will be devoted to warehouse use. This section of the building is so designed to accommodate additional stories, in which Mr. Stebbins plans to locate his paint factory later." The front portion of the building was to be utilized for offices and lounge, a kitchen, and a display room.

In 1950, new articles of incorporation were filed in order to expand the offerings of the business. In addition to manufacturing paint and selling wallpaper, the company also sold varnishes, oils, fillers, stains, enamels, mortar and cement, putty, glass, and chemicals. The company continued to expand in the early 1950s, opening branch warehouses in Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and opening a subsidiary company for the production of paint brushes. The expansion, however, was not immediately successful. The first three years of the 1950s saw a drought, labor problems, and shortages of operating capital. Additionally, overall paint sales in the nation were down by 7%. Business improved in the late 1950s and into the 1960s, and the company received several high-profile supply contracts, such as the formulation of a clear varnish that was applied to the gold leaf dome of the Arkansas State Capitol.

The warehouse became overcrowded in the late 1960s, resulting in the decision to expand the original building, adding a large wing to the east. The addition was completed in 1971. Sales began to continuously drop in the mid-1970s, due to the arrival of discount chains and large home improvement stores, which, by 1976, were capturing 45% of the market. The company was profiled in the Arkansas Business Journal in 1985, after the company embarked on a major sales and marketing improvement plan and facility modernization efforts. The article reported that Stebbins & Roberts employed about 100 people, including 20 in its general offices and 25 in the manufacturing plant, with the remainder in three distribution centers and five company-owned stores.

The company was among the top 100 of about 1,700 paint manufacturers nationally. High-profile supply contracts in the late 1970s and 1980s included the Excelsior Hotel, the Capital Hotel, and the Tower Building. The company name changed to Sterling Paint in 1995, when Jim Adamson, son of longtime employee and former president Sterling Adamson, took over as president. The company was acquired in 2003 by Iowa Paint.

Burks and Anderson, Architects

H. Ray Burks

H. Ray Burks (1890-1948, AIA 1935) was born in Monticello, Arkansas, and studied architecture at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University. After graduating, his early training began in Monticello with W.A. Halley Architects in 1915. In 1917, Burks moved to Little Rock to work for James H. Bliss before his wartime appointment at Black and Veatch Engineers at Camp Pike, after which he returned to work for Bliss. He opened a solo practice in 1922, H. Ray Burks, Architect, and developed a statewide practice that was well-known throughout the state. In Little Rock, his works include the University of Arkansas Medical School in MacArthur Park, the Fine Arts Museum (now the Arkansas Arts Center), the original Baptist Hospital, and an early building for the Arkansas School for the Blind. He also designed a number of residences for prominent Arkansans throughout the state.

Burks' designs in the 1930s embraced the Art Deco and Art Moderne styles. The Drew County Courthouse in Monticello, Arkansas, constructed in 1932, is a brick and limestone building with Neoclassical and Art Deco elements. The primary elevation features iron scrollwork in Art Deco motifs, Ionic pilasters, and cast-stone lintels in Art Deco designs, on an otherwise minimal building form. With the original Museum of Fine Arts building, constructed in 1935, Burks fully embraced the Art Deco style, employing fluted stone pilasters and iron scrollwork on a simple, square brick form. Similarly, the nearby University of Arkansas Medical School, also constructed in 1935 (now the Bowen School of Law), features simple brick pilasters with fluted stone capitals, cast-stone lintels with Art Deco motifs, and a large, projecting two-story entrance bay with cast-stone Art Deco motifs and a pressed aluminum window system around the entrance. Burks began to veer towards the Art Moderne style with the 1940 Blankinship Motor Company Building in Bradley County, Arkansas, which is very similar to the Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory. The small brick commercial building features simple brick pilasters, horizontal concrete bands, and large, wide steel windows. A cantilevered concrete canopy on the primary facade further emphasizes the building's horizontality. The same concept was later used on the Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory, but with the addition of Art Deco elements around the primary entrance.

Bruce Roy Anderson

Bruce Roy Anderson (1907-1985, AIA 1940) was born in Newport, Arkansas, and studied architecture at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, after which he earned a scholarship to the Harvard Graduate School of Design. After graduating, he worked as a draftsman for Wittenberg and Delony in Little Rock, followed by a stint as an architect for Arthur N. McAninch until 1936, after which he worked as a partner until 1941. During World War II, Anderson worked with Allied Architects, concentrating on wartime work, and as chief of the Engineering Branch at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. After the war, he formed a partnership with H. Ray Burks, with whom he designed the Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory and their major work, War Memorial Stadium. After Burks' untimely death, Anderson had a solo practice until his retirement in 1981. During this time he designed many churches and institutional buildings around Arkansas, including several remodeling projects at the Old State House. He was the primary architect for the University of Central Arkansas, Harding University, and Ouachita Baptist University.

H. Ray Burks and Bruce Anderson formed a brief partnership from 1945 to 1948, during which time they designed the Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory and War Memorial Stadium, a 31,000-seat football stadium completed in 1947. The Art Deco football stadium features a concrete, curving main entrance with horizontal bands of aluminum and glass brick, and aluminum football motifs. The stadium was erected as a memorial to Arkansans who served in World Wars I and II, and is the central Arkansas home stadium of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory is the only industrial building designed by either architect. The building expands upon Burks' earlier design for the Blankinship Motor Company, employing similar Moderne elements on the factory wing of the building, such as the exposed concrete bands and large windows, emphasizing horizontality. The office wing combines the two styles with simple concrete bands stretching the width of the single-story wing, again emphasizing horizontality, while the projecting entrance bay contains cast-concrete Art Deco elements. While the surrounding area contains industrial buildings constructed around the same time, none have Art Deco or Art Moderne detailing, but are utilitarian in design.

History of Little Rock

Little Rock is located in Pulaski County in Central Arkansas, and is the State Capital. Little Rock is located on the Arkansas River, a major tributary to the Mississippi River. French settlers built a trading post along the Arkansas River in 1722. Later, the area was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, but the first settlement did not occur until 1812, when a fur trapper built a cabin on the bank of the river in the area of today's downtown. In the spring of 1820, a small settlement was established, including a U.S. post office. Land speculation came soon after, followed by the establishment of the territorial capital in 1821. Little Rock was incorporated as a town in 1831 and as a city in 1835. Construction of the Statehouse began in 1833 and was completed in 1842. During that period, Arkansas was admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1836. Schools were founded in 1853, and gas lighting and the telegraph arrived by 1861.

During the Civil War, development came to a halt, and the town was occupied by the Unionist government after an 1863 siege. During Reconstruction, the railroad arrived in Little Rock in 1873, spurring growth and development. The population grew to 13,138 by 1880, a growth of over 200% since 1860. The last decades of the 19^th Century were marked by the foundation of the Arkansas School of Medicine, and arrival of the telephone, electricity, sewer lines, and the first paved streets. By 1900, the population was over 38,000.

Construction of the Arkansas State Capitol began in 1899 and was completed in 1914. The early 20^th Century in Little Rock was marked by continued growth and residential expansion due to the arrival of the streetcar. Streetcar lines, which were owned by speculators who also owned land west of the city, laid tracks almost exclusively in a westward direction away from downtown, to spur residential development. This was bolstered by the annexation of Pulaski Heights, one of Little Rock's earliest western suburbs, in 1916. The area east of downtown was primarily used for industrial purposes since the late 19^th Century, due to its proximity to major railroad lines. Downtown Little Rock saw substantial growth from 1900-1930s. In the 1920s, wartime reserves of building supplies paired with readily available building loans, created a construction boom, establishing a substantial commercial area along Main Street. By 1932, the population was 81,679 and the city had a baseball field, a zoo, several large, new schools and a new passenger railroad station.

After World War II, Little Rock, like the rest of the country, experienced a housing and construction boom. New industries such as Timex and Westinghouse opened factories in Little Rock, aiding its economic recovery and expansion. Residential construction also surged to accommodate returning GIs, resulting in several modest, mid-century neighborhoods west of downtown Little Rock. Growth continued through the 1950s-1960s, and the city population reached over 100,000, with 196,000 in the metropolitan area. The increasing use of the automobile resulted in further westward expansion, including shopping malls and other commercial hubs to provide services for the western suburbs. A brief construction boom in the 1960s resulted in many mid-century buildings being constructed downtown. Afterward, however, downtown saw a decrease in commercial development. Recent decades are marked by reinvestment in the downtown and surrounding areas, while simultaneously growth has continued to the west. As of the 2010 census, the population of Little Rock is 193,524 within the city, with 699,757 in the metropolitan area.

History of the East End Industrial Area

At the end of the 18^th Century, the area surrounding the subject site was part of a large portion of land along the Arkansas River that was used as hunting ground by the Quapaw Tribe, part of which later became a reservation as a result of an 1818 peace treaty, only to cede the land to the United States six years later in 1824. In return, the Quapaw Tribe received land on the Red River in northwestern Louisiana.

Prior to the arrival of the railroad, in 1873, the area was largely residential, characterized by large swaths of open space dotted with single-family houses. Light industrial use was concentrated to the north, along the banks of the Arkansas River. The arrival of the railroad began to gradually increase the number of industrial concerns in the area, while still maintaining a strong residential landscape. The largest of the post-Civil War industries was the Little Rock Oil and Compress Company, a cottonseed oil mill, located between 2^nd Street and the Arkansas River, east of Byrd Street. Sanborn maps show the mill surrounded by a small rope and twine mill, an infirmary, and small, single-story dwellings, some of which were labeled as "Negro dwellings." Union Compress Company arrived in the 1880s but was destroyed by fire in 1896. Additional industrial activity concentrated along the banks of the Arkansas River, between Cumberland (two blocks east of Main Street) and Byrd Street (the area that now contains Interstate 30), and along the railroad. These industries included the Beebe Stave Company, the Little Rock Grain Company, Little Rock Mill and Elevator Company, and several cotton mills. The areas south of 3^rd Street remained largely residential.

By the early 20^th Century, the growth of the railroads, including the arrival of the Rock Island and Missouri Pacific tracks at the eastern edge of the city (the area between 2^nd and 9^th Streets east of Rector Street) saw an increasing number of heavy industrial concerns such as foundries, cotton mills, freight yards, lumber yards, brick yards, and furniture factories. The industrial concerns were well-connected to commercial areas to the west by the main thoroughfares of 3^rd, 6^th, and 9^th streets. By 1913 residential areas were clustered on 2 Street at John Street and Collins Street, and 3^rd-6^th Streets, east of Bond Street. The 1939 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of the area shows clusters of industrial developments lining the numerous arms of the Missouri Pacific and Rock Island tracks east of Byrd Street, with stores and residential areas spread throughout the area. The city directory from the same year lists industrial concerns in the area to include Southern Ice Company, a furniture warehouse, Gregory Robinson vinegar company, auto repair shops, Darragh Building Supplies, various warehouses, and the Stebbins & Roberts warehouse (no longer extant). A 1949 newspaper advertisement describes "big outstanding heavy industrial plots" for sale "right in the fast-developing East End Industrial Center" and specifically describes the arrival of the new Stebbins & Roberts building among other "big industrial developments." By the 1950s, several more manufactories were present, including Dixie Equipment Company, Little Rock Box and Manufacturing Company, National Refrigeration Company, Banner Mattress and Rug Company, and Kraft Food Company, all of which are located on 2^nd-6^th streets east of Byrd Street.

Today, a small cluster of small industrial buildings from the early- to mid-twentieth century, and a few larger historic industrial complexes, are still present and operating in the area. The area retains its overall industrial feel. While some industry remains, many buildings in the area are being rehabilitated for mixed-use purposes. The north area, along the Arkansas River, now contains a large library and museum, educational facility, and a large, contemporary office complex.

Building Description

The Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory was constructed in 1947 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The building is located in a commercial and industrial area .8 miles east of downtown, which was largely developed in the 1920s-1940s. The resource is located on a 3-acre site at the northeast corner of East 6^th Street and Shall Avenue. The building consists of a one-story office and retail section, which is connected to a two-story factory section. To the east of the factory section is a modern one-story addition, which was added in 1971. At the far east edge of the site is a small one-story brick storage building, which was constructed in 1952, most of which has been demolished in recent years.

The building is an intact example of a post-war commercial and industrial building and is the only industrial building designed by Burks and Anderson, prominent Arkansas architects.

Stebbins & Roberts Office Building and Factory is located in a mixed-use area in central Little Rock, .8 miles east of downtown. The rectangular parcel is bounded by Shall Avenue on the west, a neighboring parcel on the north, vacant lots and railroad tracks to the east, and East 6^th Street to the south. The surrounding area to the north and west contains one-story commercial and industrial buildings and a mid-rise contemporary office building. To the south is a large construction company complex.

Site features consist of a lawn with trees on the south elevation, facing East 6^th Street, a large parking lot to the south and east of the 1970s addition, and a smaller parking lot and loading area to the west of the building, directly adjacent to Shall Avenue. There is a modern covered parking structure on the southwest corner of the site. At the rear of the site is an alleyway.

The building has a reinforced concrete frame with concrete floors and a flat roof, and brick veneer exterior walls and hollow tile interior walls. The factory is two stories and is 106 feet deep and 183 feet wide. The office wing is one-story and is 32 feet deep and 121 feet wide. The modern one-story addition, which is steel framed with concrete and brick walls, is 75 feet wide and 104 feet deep.

The structure is comprised of three sections, all of which are connected. The one-story office building and two-story factory were constructed simultaneously in 1947. The one-story warehouse addition and the southeast corner of the office building (the easternmost four bays) were constructed in 1971.

The building is rectangular, with a smaller one-story rectangular projection on the south elevation housing the entrance, offices, and retail space. The entire building is set on a cast-concrete foundation and clad in buff brick, with cast-concrete decorative elements at the office/administration wing. The main entrance is off-center, and is recessed in a projecting bay which features cast-concrete decorative elements. The entrance contains a modern anodized aluminum frame single-leaf glazed door with surrounding modern anodized aluminum frame sidelights and transom. The entrance is sheltered by a shallow cantilevered concrete roof. Flanking the entrance are modern anodized aluminum-frame fixed windows which are topped with cast-concrete square lintels in an Art Deco motif. Above the entrance is a large concrete lintel, also in an Art Deco motif, which is connected at the center to a concrete belt course that wraps around the entrance bay and connects to the concrete cornice of the office wing. The four bays to the west of the entrance and the first four bays to the east have three brick belt courses running horizontally between the windows, and a continuous concrete belt course below the windows. Above the windows is a projecting concrete eyebrow. The eyebrow and belt courses continue on the west elevation of the office wing, which contains a separate entrance to the offices. The additional four bays to the east have the same ornamentation with the exception of a concrete belt course above the windows in the place of the eyebrow. The concrete and brick belt courses continue around the corner to the east elevation of the office wing, which is unfenestrated. The office wing is fenestrated by modern fixed anodized aluminum windows.

The factory is large and rectangular in form, and is utilitarian in character. The south facade, which is connected to the office wing, extends three bays to the west and two bays to the east of the office wing at the first floor. The west elevation is five bays wide, and the north elevation is nine bays wide. The east elevation is connected to the modern addition at the first floor and has no fenestration on the second floor. The westernmost bays on the first floor south elevation are fenestrated by modern fixed anodized aluminum windows identical to those on the office wing. The easternmost two bays of the first floor contain a loading bay with a modern aluminum rolling door system, and a single multi-light steel window with a concrete sills. The second floor of the south elevation is fenestrated by multi-light steel windows with concrete sills. The west and south elevations are fenestrated by larger paired multi-light steel windows with concrete sills. The concrete slab structure is visible and is painted. The first floor of the west elevation houses three loading bays with modern rolling door systems. A concrete loading dock occupies all but the northernmost bay. A modern steel and aluminum cantilevered canopy covers the loading dock. The north elevation is fenestrated by paired multi-light steel windows. As on the west elevation, the concrete slab structure is visible on the north elevation. The east elevation is connected to the modern addition at the first floor and is not fenestrated.

The modern 1971 addition is utilitarian and not fenestrated. It features the same concrete cornice seen on the main building, and is clad in similar buff brick. There are three openings on the south elevation. The westernmost bay features a modern double-leaf aluminum door with a cantilevered concrete canopy. The easternmost bays contain a modern steel door with transom and a loading bay with a rolling door system.

The small brick building at the eastern edge of the site is one-story and utilitarian in character, as it was used for storage. The majority of the building was demolished and its original concrete foundation is visible to the east of the remaining section of the building.

The interior contains finishes that are reflective of a mixed-use industrial building, with utilitarian finishes in the factory, and simple features and finishes in the office wing. Offices have received some cosmetic upgrades that are typical to office modernization over time. The modern addition is utilitarian and contains no defining features.

The office wing houses 3,942 square feet of office and retail space. Offices are located in the southwest corner, with storage rooms and auxiliary spaces along the north wall in the eastern half of the wing. At the center of the north wall is a concrete safe. To the west of the safe are retail counters.

The entrance vestibule, located in the southwest section of the office wing, contains tile floors and tile baseboard, and flat plaster walls and ceiling. A modern aluminum single-leaf door with sidelights and transom separates the vestibule from the interior office and retail space. Throughout the interior of the office and retail space, floors are asbestos tile; walls are a combination of painted hollow cement tile, painted concrete block, gypsum board, and flat plaster, with simple wood crown molding and vinyl base in some areas. Door surrounds, window surrounds, and window stools and aprons are wood. Window surrounds are modern. The southwest corner office features flush wood paneling and a fireplace with a marble and wood surround. The fireplace is modern. The paneling is in poor condition in places due to water infiltration. The eastern end of the office wing, which was added in 1971, is separated from the rest of the wing by a concrete-block wall with a gypsum board opening, and contains an asbestos tile floor, painted concrete-block walls, and gypsum board ceiling.

The south wall of the first floor of the factory building contains additional auxiliary spaces constructed with painted concrete block or gypsum board walls and suspended acoustic tile ceilings, and asbestos tile floors. On the first and second floors, the majority of the factory building is open in plan, with cast-concrete floors, ceilings, and columns. The columns are square with a flared square capital. Light fixtures, and plumbing and electrical piping are suspended from the ceilings. Perimeter walls are clad in hollow cement tile, which is painted in some areas.

The one-story east addition, constructed in 1971, is utilitarian in form and contains two large open spaces with concrete floors and concrete block walls. The steel roof structure is exposed.

Vertical circulation is provided by a modern concrete stair in the southwest corner of the factory wing, and a freight elevator in the northwest corner. There is an exterior fire stair at the east end of the factory wing.