Project Details (Stone):

Stone - A small amount of fabricated, cut stone has been specified for use on the stair treads at the front entry door. To learn what stone might have been appropriate for Little Rock in the 1820’s, Ruby Architects, Inc. contacted the Arkansas Geological Survey (AGS) to identify stone on some of the earliest known structures in City, which included sandstone in the keystones on the Brownlee House at the Historic Arkansas Museum, as well as treads and architectural features on the U.S. Arsenal Building, now the MacArthur Park Military Museum. Stone used for these features are a native Arkansas sandstone, perhaps quarried from “Big Rock” or elsewhere up the Arkansas River. It is likely that a stone quarry would have been opened as near the Arkansas River as possible making transportation easier. The AGS identified the stone as likely originating from the Atoka formation. Quarries in operation today in Arkansas make access to this stone possible. Thus, sandstone for the stair treads are being supplied by Schwartz Stone of Scranton, Arkansas, a quarry very close to the Arkansas River.

These steps lead to the front door of a building in Williamsburg, VA. The entry steps to the Woodruff project will be similar.

The sandstone keystone above the entry door at the late 1830’s Brownlee building is identical to sandstone found at the old U.S. Arsenal building (ca. 1840’s), both in Little Rock. This stone was identified and is being matched.