The neoclassical brick beauty at 1401 Scott St. in Little Rock opened in fall 1905 as Little Rock High School with 410 students. Those are Corinthian columns under its fancy pediment.
While it was being built, the Arkansas Democrat collected readers' suggestions for a name. Leading vote-getters were George Washington, James Mitchell, J.R. Rightsell, Little Rock, Richard H. Parham, L.W. Cherry and William Jennings Bryan. Before the contest ended, the school board picked Little Rock High School.
It was the city's fourth secondary school for white students. According to the website of the Little Rock School District, earlier public institutions for white high school students were Sherman School (1869-1885) at Eighth and Sherman streets, Scott Street School aka City High School (1885-1890) at 14th and Scott streets and the Peabody School (1890-1905) at West Capitol Avenue and Gaines Street.
Judging by references in the archives of the Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette, in 1905 the city also had 147 black high school students. It appears they attended three multi-grade schools, with most at Capitol Hill School, 1020 Wolfe St. In 1908, a brick, slate-roofed M.W. Gibbs School opened for black students at 18th and Ringo streets, combining elementary and high school grades in eight rooms, with an auditorium in the attic.
When a larger Little Rock High School opened for white students in 1927 at 15th and Park streets, the older building on Scott became Eastside Junior High. Its final classes left for Henderson Junior High in 1964.
The 1927 Little Rock High was renamed Central High School in 1955 when Hall High School was built.
Eastside was renovated into residential apartments beginning in 2002. Its auditorium building faces Daisy Gatson Bates Drive, and the whole campus is part of the MacArthur Park Historic District.
Style on 11/12/2018