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Railroad Call Historic District

The Railroad Call Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in July 1997. Examples of intact, transitional Colonial Revival-style railroad worker housing, built at the beginning of the 20th century, are viewable in Little Rock. It developed around the nearby Missouri Pacific Depot. Unfortunately, there are few other examples of that type in the surrounding neighborhood that retain their integrity, owing largely to demolition and insensitive alterations in response to increased commercial usage of the area. Due to limited transportation at the turn of the century, workers needed to live near where they worked. Large groups of houses were built in the area surrounding the Missouri Pacific station to support the community of workers. Many of those houses had identical floor plans and were generally small and closely packed. The three houses constituting this historic district are typical of several blocks of houses that sprang up around the Missouri Pacific Depot, in an area known as the "Railroad Call District." The name is derived from the railroad company sending messengers to "call" to work crew members living in the area. The buildings served their original purpose of rental property until early 1996, when they were vacated prior to being razed. Rayjohn, Inc., acquired the property in June 1996, and adapted the buildings for use as offices. Care was taken to preserve the existing historic fabric, and reconstruct the porches in accordance with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.