At the early part of the century, the houses in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, presented a panorama of American architectural styles virtually unparalleled in cities of similar size. Today, it is plain to see that the prosperity that established Pine Bluff as a preeminent railroad center has declined to a point where many of the homes have been vacated and left to decay. Homes once attracting the cream of Pine Bluff society and heralded as the most exclusive in the state, have devolved into dilapidated, tumbledown dwellings earmarked for the wrecking ball by the city’s Urban Renewal program. Here are a few of the abandoned houses of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The R.M. Knox House, built for a veteran of the American Civil War, is an elaborate example of the Eastlake style. It sits forlorn and neglected at 1504 West 6th Street. A mansard-roofed tower rises crookedly at the center of the house, while the decorated two-story porch sags across the front facade. The house was built in 1885 for Richard Morris Knox, a veteran of the American Civil War.
Neoclassical style home has seen better days.
From the front, this brick beauty on West 19th Avenue doesn’t look bad….
…until you see the side view.
A sweet Victorian cottage known as the Hill House at 908 West 5th Street. The home was originally owned by Joseph H. Hill, a physician.
Another Victorian cottage, opposite the birth home of Martha Mitchell, wife of U.S. Attorney General under Nixon.
This trio of boarded up homes on South Cherry Street are the trifecta of the abandoned.
Sadly, many of Pine Bluff’s prestigious homes are not even standing any longer, having been burned down or razed for commercial purposes.
The Atwood House, 903 W. Elm St., is now an empty lot.
Once located at 713 West 5th, the Gans-Bluthenthal House originally was the rectory for Trinity Episcopal Church. In 1894, M. Gans purchased it for $1,000 and spent $3,000 to rebuild the tower. In 1899, Adolf Bluthenthal, a prominent Jewish merchant, purchased the home. Somewhere along the line, the house was converted to a 2 1/2-story home. The site is now an empty lot.
The Byrd House stood at 5th and Laurel. Mr. Byrd was the president of the Pine Bluff Compress and Wholesale Company. The building was demolished by Smart Chevrolet.