News & Announcements

QQA Moves Office to Curran Hall 
The Quapaw Quarter Association has relocated its office to Historic Curran Hall, 615 E. Capitol Avenue, effective June 1.  The QQA, under contract with the City of Little Rock and the Advertising and Promotions Commission, began managing the Visitor Information Center at Historic Curran Hall earlier this year. 

The historic Walters-Curran-Bell House (or Curran Hall) was built in 1842-43 and is one of the oldest residential structures in Little Rock.  The antebellum Greek Revival home was built by Col. Ebenezer Walters as a wedding gift to his young bride.  Sadly, she died before the house was completed, and the grief-stricken Walters sold the house to David Baldwin, a law partner of Albert Pike.  In 1849, James Curran purchased the house.  Curran’s wife, Sophia, was the daughter of William S. Fulton, the last territorial governor of Arkansas.  In 1884, Mary Woodruff Bell, daughter of Arkansas Gazette founder and publisher, William E. Woodruff, purchased the house from the Curran family.  Mrs. Bell’s descendants remained in the house until 1993. 

In 1996, the then-dilapidated house was rescued from the wrecking ball by the city for use as a visitor information center.  After an extensive rehabilitation, the new Visitor Information Center was opened to the public in 2002.  In June of 2006, the Advertising and Promotion Commission, citing the expense of operating and maintaining the building, decided to close the visitor information center at the end of the year.  Mayor Jim Dailey appointed a fourteen member task force, comprised of citizens with a strong interest in historic preservation and love of the building, to study alternatives for the continued use of Curran Hall.  The task force ultimately decided that the best use of the building was its continued use as a Visitor Information Center.   

A request for qualifications (RFQ) for a third-party to operate the facility was drafted and issued by the City.  The Board of Directors of the Quapaw Quarter Association decided that Curran Hall was too important a building to allow closed and decided to submit a proposal for operating the building.  In November, a task force appointed by then-mayor Jim Dailey selected a proposal submitted by the QQA over proposals submitted by three other organizations.  The management contract took effect on March 1, 2007.

In addition to providing visitor information services, Curran Hall also serves as the Mayor’s Reception Hall.  The Historic Arkansas Gardens, a project of the Pulaski County Master Gardeners, features native and heritage plants common to the period and locale.  The building is also available for rental for meetings, receptions, and other private events.

The QQA's office is located on the second floor of the Annex Building, adjacent to the main house.  The QQA's post office box mailing address, phone, fax and e-mail remain the same.