Author Description

Charles L. Thompson was a pioneer. As a young draftsman in Indiana in 1886, he was offered jobs in New York, New Orleans, and Little Rock. Thompson chose to settle in Little Rock because it was “farthest in the wilderness.” Thompson was one of the most prolific architects of his age. During his fifty-two year career, he designed over 2000 commercial, institutional, and residential buildings in a variety of styles. Many of these structures still grace the landscape of the southern United States. Thompson’s final legacy was the founding and consolidation of an “architectural association." The dedication and consistency of Thompson and his colleagues gave American architecture professional stability at the turn of the century. Thompson's firm, one of the largest in the South and oldest in the United States, is located in Little Rock and today bears the name of Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Parker & Woodsmall. Charles L. Thompson and Associates, Arkansas Architects: I885-I938 has been produced with the sponsorship of the Quapaw Quarter Association. Incorporated in 1968, the Association is one of the largest historic preservation organizations in the mid-South and has actively worked to secure the revitalization of Little Rock's oldest residential and commercial areas.