LR’s Boyle Building to have new name
The Boyle Building, the future home for the attorney general’s offices, will be renamed to honor the late Bob R. Brooks Jr., Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Wednesday.
Brooks died unexpectedly at the age of 61 earlier this month and served as the chief deputy attorney general under Griffin. In August, Griffin announced he would move his offices to the Boyle Building after renovations were completed on the 12-story building.
The building will be renamed the Bob R. Brooks Jr. Justice Building.
“The plan was to rename the Boyle Building as part of its redevelopment. With the recent and unexpected passing of Chief Deputy Attorney General Bob Brooks, it became clear that the best way to honor his legacy was to name the building after him,” Griffin said in a news release. “Bob was one of the chief proponents of moving to the Boyle Building because of its import to downtown Little Rock, its history and the benefit to Arkansas taxpayers, and he was a key driver in making the move a reality.”
The Boyle Building is a 12-story building in downtown Little Rock located at 500 S. Main St. The building was originally constructed in 1909 and was known as the “State Bank Building.” In 1916, real estate tycoon Johnny Boyle purchased the building to host his newly formed Boyle Real Estate Company, which continued to own the building until 1999.
However, the building has been vacant for the past 26 years, according to the attorney general’s office. Moses Tucker Partners purchased the building last year, and the attorney general’s office will be the main tenant under a 20-year lease with an option to purchase the building after a fifth year.
The current home for the attorney general’s office is the Tower Building, located at 323 Center St., which is also in downtown Little Rock.
“Bob was both a delightful person and a force to be reckoned with,” Jimmy Moses, chairman of the board of Moses Tucker Partners, said in the news release. “He was totally dedicated to the redevelopment of the Boyle Building, and naming the building for him is appropriate and a wonderful way to honor him.”
A Fort Smith native, Brooks had been in his most recent role with the attorney general’s office since Griffin appointed him at the start of his term in January 2023.
“Bob and I were the best of friends for decades, and he was like a member of my family,” Griffin told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette after Brooks’ death earlier this month.
Prior to his time at the attorney general’s office, Brooks served as chief of staff for former Republican U.S. Reps Jay Dickey of Arkansas, and Jim McCrery of Louisiana. Brooks also served as director of the Arkansas Ethics Commission after being appointed to that role by former Gov. Mike Huckabee.