The Anderson House in Little Rock, Arkansas, was listed in National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 2001, under Criterion C with its local significance as an excellent example of a Craftsman bungalow exhibiting an unusual, picturesque combination of Arkansas stone with rusticated granite and rubble fieldstone on the exterior, rusticated gray granite covers the front facade and forms the massive porch and porte-cochere, a porte-cochere is the architectural term for a porch or portico-like structure at the entrance to a building, through which it is possible for a horse and carriage or motor vehicle to pass, in order for the occupants to alight under cover, protected from the weather, while rubble fieldstone of fascinating variety sheathes the sides and rear, and supports.
It was also nominated under Criteria Consideration A: Religious Properties, not for its religious merit, but rather for its architectural value. The stone and cast iron fence surrounding the side yard and rear of the property is unique; the stone and cast iron fence is an arresting assemblage of antique cast iron fence panels and posts, millstones, whetstones and other stones chosen for their unusual qualities.
For more than seventy years this virtually unaltered property has been an eye-catching landmark that preserves a strong feeling and association of the bungalow style in an early twentieth-century American suburban neighborhood and of the Craftsman aesthetic and philosophy of life. The picturesque ensemble of the dwelling and fence has long been a striking landmark in the historic neighborhoods in the area.
The Anderson House fulfills all the requirements of the Craftsman Bungalow. Its low, compact massing, overhanging eaves and use of natural materials harmonize with the landscape. The desired weaving of inner and outer space is achieved through the use of French doors opening onto the porch from the two front rooms, and the large, airy sleeping porch. The efficient design plan has little wasted space. The large side yard and garden beautifully epitomize the country life and love of nature’s materials that the Craftsman magazine proclaimed.
The Andersons carefully chose the special stones and picturesque artifacts they displayed at their residence. Their neighbors, in turn, had the time to enjoy the sight as they strolled on the sidewalks in the neighborhood.
The Anderson House is one of a kind in relation to other bungalows in the area. It is rare to see a bungalow of its modest “character” to have a stone exterior. This dramatic blending of granite and common native fieldstone is seen in now other Bungalow in the area. Granite porch walls and porch supports are most often seen as architectural elements on larger houses, especially “Foursquare” houses or two-story dwellings with Craftsman-origins. The clay chimney pots seem out of place; as they appear usually only on Tudor- style edifices in the posh neighborhoods in what is termed the “Upper Heights.”
The Anderson House is located in the one hundred and twelve (112) year-old Beach's Addition to the City of Little Rock. Today, the neighborhood is now generally known as Stifft's Station neighborhood. Stifft's Station neighborhood was one of only three adjoining neighborhoods to be the first suburban areas of Little Rock where significant growth occurred after the arrival of the streetcar in 1903. The neighborhood saw its primary growth during the 1920s and 1930s, when West Markham became a significant traffic thoroughfare as the city limits extended westward.
The Anderson family lived in the house from 1926 until 1957. During the 1960s and up through the mid 1970s the house had many owners, all for only short periods of time. It was plagued by periods of sporadic vacancies. In 1977 Dr. John Sorenson, purchased the house and lived there until sold in 1995 to the present owners, the Little Rock Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).