Distinguished by its long steel frame and the signature ball-topped pedestal adorning its roof, the Arkansas Power and Light Building at Ninth and South Louisiana streets is one of the most recognizable buildings in downtown Little Rock.
Designed in 1953 by architect Fred Arnold at Wittenberg, Deloney and Davidson, now WDD Architects, the AP&L Building was the first structure in Little Rock to be built in the International style that gained popularity after World War II.
According to the National Register of Historic Places, the structure was also one of the first buildings erected after the adoption of the Little Rock 1969 master plan, which helped guide new commercial design and encouraged private-public partnerships to facilitate downtown beautification.
Although the building was designed in 1953, uncertainty about rate increases and the expiration of laborers’ union contracts delayed completion until 1959. Built specifically for the Arkansas Power and Light Co., now Entergy Arkansas, construction cost a total of $2.8 million, or a little more than $31 million today.
According to the National Register, the four-story building includes 70,000 square feet of office space and is surrounded by 8,200 square feet of parking space. Its design is a specific variation of the International style influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, as evidenced by the large, intersecting geometric forms juxtaposed asymmetrically to create the structure, as well as mixed-media finishes that include brick, steel, glass and marble.
The two-story steel-and-glass section that makes up the second and third floors dominates the look of the building, while features such as a curving, single-story brick section, a tiled cantilever supported by marble columns and the distinctive glass ball on the roof add visual interest.
The Space Age structure was completely electric; in fact, it was the first office building in the Little Rock area to have an electric heat pump system. The expansive lobby includes a window that peeks into what was then a state-of-the-art mechanical control room. Portraits of company executives adorned one of the walls.
Control room
In the Reddy Room, named for cartoon electricity spokesperson Reddy Kilowatt, a stage once hosted demonstrations of electric appliances. Behind the stage, a vintage test kitchen stands as a monument to the wonders of the modern age.
Other highlights of the first floor include a vault, the original 1950s elevator and a set of stairs that was once the building’s escalator. The warren of meeting rooms and offices taking up the first three floors of the building yields no shortage of retro gems, including a full kitchen in what was once a break room.
An original 1950s elevator, a Space Age control room and stairs that replaced an escalator are some vintage gems inside the Arkansas Power and Light Building in Little Rock.
The fourth floor opens to the rooftop, providing a panoramic view of the downtown area and an up-close look at the iconic ball.
Once counted among the most modern structures in Little Rock, the lights have been out at the old AP&L Building for the past several years. Flake & Co. in Little Rock purchased the property when Entergy’s lease expired in 2021.
“My dad had always had his eye on it and loved it,” said CEO Jessica Flake Dearnley, daughter of real estate titan John Flake, who built the Simmons Tower for Entergy in 1986. “He was like, ‘It has so much potential.’”
Jessica Flake Dearnley
Her father had a tenant in mind for the space, Dearnley added, but the deal fell through, leaving the fate of the building in question.
“Normally, we don’t just buy property and then figure out what you’re going to do with it,” Dearnley said. “We have a plan in place, or you have a tenant that’s coming in.”
The most efficient use of the space would be for another single tenant, she added, but it has been difficult to find a company that checks all the boxes when it comes to the dimensions, layout and location.
“It’s a specific target audience that’s like, ‘I want to be downtown, and I want to be in a cool older building,’” she said, “versus other people are like, ‘I want to be in something brand new with resort amenities.’”
That has led Dearnley to consider other options, including turning the AP&L Building into multifamily housing, something she said would dovetail nicely with the downtown master plan created in 2024.
“They want more housing to create population density because you need people to put in the retail grocery stores and bring in the density,” she said. “Doing the housing’s what brings in all the density, so that was their goal. Is there a demand for it? I can’t answer that. I’ve not done a market study myself.”
Such a study would help determine whether there is a market for housing in the area, as well as the types of apartments most in demand, be they microunits or one- and two-bedroom units.
Flake & Co. has commissioned local architects to come up with potential redesigns of the building were it to be converted to multifamily housing. In addition to incorporating high-end amenities such as a dog wash, yoga studio and fitness center, ideas include turning part of the building into a restaurant or grocery store; transforming the rooftop into a cafe or bar; and installing a cafe or pool under the cantilever.
In the meantime, Flake & Co. has completed an asbestos abatement and repainted the interior of the building. Additional work could be required depending on whether the building houses one or multiple tenants, Dearnley said, including extending the elevator to the fourth floor. She added that future tenants could also install LED lights on the exterior of the building or renovate the historic ball to display their company colors.
“It’s great access off the interstate for people coming in from Benton, Bryant and Conway,” she said. “It’s right here, and there’s visibility with the Entergy ball on top.”
However, she added that a slow commercial real estate market coupled with the expenses involved in renovating a historic structure — plus a lack of developer incentives aside from historic tax credits — has kept the AP&L Building in a state of limbo.
Despite the obstacles, Dearnley said the prospect of being a part of downtown revitalization efforts was exciting. She pointed to Attorney General Tim Griffin, who transformed the nearby Boyle building into the Bob R. Brooks Jr. Justice Building, and his message that whenever people visit Little Rock, they do not come for the latest strip mall or cookie-cutter housing development. They want to see the structures that make the city unlike anywhere else.
“What’s special about this city, and what’s unique?” Dearnley said. “We have the Clinton Library, we have the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s like, ‘What are the stops to go see?’ I would love for us to be a stop, like, ‘We need to go see this building.’”
For inquiries, contact Dearnley at 479-200-5532 or jdearnley@flakecompany.com.
Photos by Chris Davis
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