History Minute: Abbott’s architecture unmistakable in south Arkansas
Buildings have a special way of evoking a sense of place and time. A certain building can be the heart of a community, and its special features can leave warm feelings of nostalgia for their visitors many years later. Buildings also create a sense of character for a community. While many architects and contractors have contributed to the countless buildings across Arkansas, many mid-century buildings across South Arkansas exist today because of the work of architect John Abbott.
John Benjamin Abbott was born in El Dorado in May 1912. His father, Thomas Abbott, was superintendent of El Dorado schools. He had three sisters. In 1914, the family moved to Camden. They moved to Paragould and then to Little Rock a few years later. He was a diligent student and recalled how he was one of the first students to attend Little Rock High School, now known as Central High School. He was part of the first graduating class of the school in 1927. After graduation, he attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he studied architecture.
He eventually made his way back to El Dorado. He married Alice Grayson in 1935, and the two had a son. They all lived together in El Dorado in a home that Abbott himself designed. Abbott was one of the first licensed architects in Arkansas. His architectural license was number 6.
In 1936, he started his own architectural firm. That firm, CADM Architects, is still in operation. Abbott would go on to design a number of houses, churches, schools, and community buildings across the region. Abbott developed a reputation as insightful, honest, and diligent. His designs were both functional and elegant and found a receptive clientele across South Arkansas. One of his earliest designs was the Works Progress Administration Gymnasium on what was then the combined campus of El Dorado High School and El Dorado Junior College. The building was completed in 1940 and is used for basketball games at South Arkansas College today.
In 1946, he designed the terminal building at South Arkansas Regional Airport, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That year, he also designed El Dorado’s Memorial Stadium, home to the Wildcats of El Dorado High School and the Murphy USA Classic, which invites two Arkansas college football teams to the city to compete each year.
The entire cluster of buildings that surround the stadium were also designed by him in the 1950s, an area that is still a vital part of the life of the community. He designed the buildings for the Boys and Girls Club and the American Legion Building, later known as the TAC House. Both continue to serve as activities centers for area youths. In the 1960s, he designed El Dorado’s South Arkansas Arts Center. Many of the schools in the El Dorado area in use today, including Hugh Goodwin Elementary School and Yocum Primary School, were either designed by Abbott at their inception or during their later restorations and expansions. He would also design the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, the site of many graduations, community celebrations, and concerts since that time.
He continued to work actively as an architect into the 1970s. By this time, he also began concentrating on nominating buildings across South Arkansas onto the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 1980s, he led the restoration of the Newton-Rainey House, an impressive 1851 Victorian structure that was at one time home to El Dorado’s founder, Matthew Rainey. As part of the process, the home was carefully moved a couple of blocks over to its current location. With Abbott’s help, it became the Newton House Museum twenty years later.
Late into his life, he continued to contribute to the architecture of South Arkansas. In 2005, now 93, he worked as an advisor to the restoration of the WPA Gymnasium he designed early in his career. His partners in his firm, many years younger than him, often marveled at his attention for detail, his sage advice, and how well he remembered the smallest features of buildings he had designed decades before. Abbott enjoyed his role as a mentor. Even well into his 90s, he wrote several articles on the architectural history of Union County and continued to work to nominate buildings to the National Register of Historic Places. He remained very active in church and civic organizations. The South Arkansas Historic Preservation Society, an El Dorado-based historical organization, named an award for him to honor others in South Arkansas with his spirit for preservation and historical education.
Abbott passed away quietly at his El Dorado home in February 2012, just months shy of his one hundredth birthday. Many of his buildings still stand today, a testament to his skill and imagination.
Dr. Ken Bridges is a professor of history and geography at South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado and a resident historian for the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society. Bridges can be reached by email at kbridges@ southark.edu.