Neighborhood History

Our Hall High neighbors Chuck and Vicki Draper live at the corner of 610 Shamrock and F street.  Their home is said to be one of the first houses built in the Hall High neighborhood.  Records show the house was built in 1950, but Chuck believes the original structure was built before 1950. The building located to the right of their carport was once a barn and F street was a dirt road formerly called Guy. The plat below shows two small subdivisions McIntosh Addition #2 where Chuck and Vickie currently live and the Ivory Addition.  Mr. R.R. McIntosh and his brother Jesse McIntosh owned 40 acres in 1914 and developed the McIntosh Addition #2. There were 4 additions with 10 lots each. On April 30, 1954, the house was deeded over from Mr. G.E. Jernigan and his wife Mrs. Margaret M. Jernigan to Mr. Felix Green.

The Drapers shared photos of their home that one of the previous owners provided.  It’s been through a number of transitions over the years and we are grateful to Chuck and Vicki for sharing a piece of our neighborhood history.

  • Dream it

  • Build it

  • Grow it

  • Present Day

  • 1957 - Hall High School

    Hall High School opened in 1957 with a student body of about 700. It was named for Col. Robert Cleveland "R.C." Hall, Superintendent of the Little Rock School District from 1909 to 1941. Hall High School received additions in 1962, 1963, 1971, 1975 and 1984. Two new buildings opened in 2003: a new gymnasium/athletic center and a new classroom wing. The Dietz Physical Development Center officially was dedicated in January 2005 and was named to honor Donnie Dietz, a Hall High graduate and West Point alumnus who was killed in Vietnam in 1969.

  • 1958 - Williams Magnet Elementary

    Opened in 1958, Williams Magnet Elementary has the unique distinction of being named in honor of three different men, all of whom served on the Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District: J.E. Williams, a member of the Board from 1900 to 1903; Nal Williams, a member of the Board from 1904 to 1905; and Robert M. Williams, a member of the Board from 1939 to 1945. Williams received building additions in 1964, 1966, 1986 and 1994. A new classroom wing opened in 2004. Williams became a magnet school in 1982 and expanded to a tri-district magnet school in 1986.

  • 1959 - Catholic High School

    Construction began in 1959 for a $1.25 million school building on a 26-acre tract of land on then – Lee Street. The building, the present abode of Catholic High School, was much larger and was a marvel of technology at the time, featuring a construction built largely of aluminum and a closed circuit television system, the first CCTV system in Pulaski County. In 2012, under the direction of Rector Monsignor Lawrence Frederick and Principal Steve Straessle, Catholic High embarked on the most ambitious initiative ever undertaken – renovating the 50-year-old facility.

  • 1960 - Park Plaza Mall

    The original open-air mall was situated on two retail levels, with several fountains and water features. For its first five years, it did not have an anchor department store. A two-level, Little Rock-based Gus Blass was built onto the west end of the complex in 1964-1965. This would operate as a Pfeifer-Blass between 1967 and 1974 and be branded as a Dillard's in 1974. In 1988, Park Plaza shut down completely except for Dillard's, in preparation for the mall to undergo a major overhaul. General Growth Properties, who managed the mall at the time, added a third level and a glass roof as it enclosed the structure. The mall re-opened in July 1988, bringing large crowds, a second Dillard's, and many stores new to Little Rock and the state of Arkansas