Look to your right-you’ll spot a grand, cream-colored two-story house with a red tile roof, arched windows, and a fancy wrought iron balcony, standing high above the street behind a lawn shaded by big old trees.
Welcome to the Justin Matthews Jr. House, a place where Mediterranean dreams found a home in Arkansas! Picture it: the year is 1928, and developer Justin Matthews is determined to make Park Hill the toast of the town. He has this stunning mansion built for his son, right here on Skyline Drive, hiring the talented Max F. Meyer to design something no one could miss. You’d see workers bustling around, clay tiles clanking as they finish the signature red roof. The smooth stucco walls shine under the sun-something you’d expect to see in Spain or Italy, not North Little Rock! There’s a sense of excitement: neighbors stop to marvel at the elegant arched doorways, imagining glamorous gatherings inside. And here’s a fun detail-those wrought iron railings on the balcony? They were the talk of the neighborhood and gave the house a bit of dramatic flair, as if someone might step outside with a grand announcement. This house isn’t just stylish, it’s historic; the national experts made it official in 1990 by putting it on the National Register of Historic Places. So take a moment, enjoy the view, and if you suddenly feel like adopting a Mediterranean accent, don’t worry-you wouldn’t be the first!
