Rector considered for National Register

The Rector Commercial Historic District and the Rector Waterworks Building (which also formerly housed the city jail) will be considered Wednesday, April 1, by the State Review Board of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The board meeting will take place in room 107 of the Tower Building at 323 Center Street in Little Rock.

The Rector Commercial Historic District, which runs along and around Main Street, contains buildings dating to 1892.

"The earliest extant buildings were constructed in the 1890s and reflect Rector's booming economy after the establishment of the railroad and the town," the National Register nomination says. "The majority of the buildings in the district are brick, late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century commercial design, some of which display architectural elements of styles such as Italianate and Classical Revival."

The Rector Waterworks Building at 703 South Main Street, built around 1915, is an unusual industrial example of the Colonial Revival style of architecture.

"The classical pediment, brick pilasters and arched windows on the front facade are hallmarks of the style, which was most popular during the first decades of the twentieth century," according to the nomination. "Mainly an architectural style used for domestic or civic buildings, it was rarely used for industrial facilities, meaning that the Rector Waterworks Building is a significant example of the style."

The board also will consider 18 other properties in 13 other Arkansas counties.