Within a 10 minute walk from each other, the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House and the new Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts were both designed to elicit the public’s aesthetic appreciation, but their current conditions have left them opposites. One is a deteriorating structure built in 1840 with historic value that cannot be manufactured; the other, a modern architectural showpiece still buzzing from its April grand opening.
A number of heirs to the Terry House are in an ongoing lawsuit against the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, its foundation and the city of Little Rock over a lack of upkeep to the mansion and grounds at 411 E. Seventh St. Susan Terry Borné, granddaughter of the late Adolphine Fletcher Terry and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the Terry House should be prioritized and invested in. The lawsuit aims to find a future for the mansion that serves the public, Borné said.
“[The house] is currently shuttered,” Borné said. “That’s disappointing to us; that it’s not being used. We feel like there is still quite an interest in the house and the history and the individuals that are connected to the house.”
The next step along this legal path is a hearing on May 24.
The house was built by Albert Pike, a Confederate general, 183 years ago. It is one of Little Rock’s oldest buildings and holds a rich history of cultural evolution. Its occupants have been Pulitzer Prize winners, a woman who will be inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame this year and a U.S. representative. The house also served as the Arkansas Female College and housed some of the people who were integral in fighting segregation in schools in the 1950s.
In 1964, heirs to the house deeded the property to the city of Little Rock. They specified that the house should be used for public benefit as part of the Arkansas Arts Center, now named the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. With the depreciation of the house, the lawsuit alleges that the deed has not been followed.
Today, the house sits empty, with a moderately kept lawn and a locked fence that shoos away visitors. A sign reads “No Entry. Restoration in progress,” although it does not seem like any restoration is in progress. The shutters are flaking, vines are growing up the brick and the wood that surrounds windows is chipping away.
Richard Mays, the attorney for the heirs, said he met in April with City Manager Bruce Moore during a formal deposition that lasted hours. Moore and City Attorney Tom Carpenter did not reply to an interview request, citing the ongoing litigation. Mays said that the heirs do not intend to privately profit from the case, and the ultimate goal is to make the house available again to all.
“I hope that we’ll gather interest and support for the house,” Borné said. “It sits on a beautiful city block that is its own little green space. I kind of call it a pocket park, and it really has a lot going for it.”
Last year, Little Rock Board of Directors approved $500,000 for the Terry House. Moore said via email that a “minor” portion of the funds has been spent on “some small capital projects at the house.” Mays said utilities are still turned on at the house.
The longer that the house sits, however, the risk of total loss increases.
Bobby Roberts is a member of Terry House Inc., a group that formed in support of the mansion. The house has to be restored before it can open to the public, he said. “To me, it’s just kind of sitting in never-never land.”
While in limbo, the Terry House Inc. has been brainstorming ways the property could be used.
“If you look at that house, it’s an architectural gem in the state,” Roberts said. “So it’s got the potential to focus on the architecture. … The other part of it is [that] it is a marvelous evolution of race in Arkansas. The house was built before the Civil War, most likely with slave labor. It goes all the way up through Reconstruction, it ends up with people who are trying to save Little Rock schools. It has a wonderful story.”