Arkansas Governor's Mansion


The Arkansas Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of Arkansas and Arkansas' First Family. The mansion is located at 1800 Center Street in Little Rock, and is included in the Governor's Mansion Historic District, a district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Until 1950, the State of Arkansas did not have an official residence for its governor.

History

In 1947, Act 257 of the Arkansas General Assembly established a Governor's Mansion Commission with an appropriation of $100,000.00. The site was the former location of the Arkansas School for the Blind, which had moved to new quarters near the city's Pulaski Heights neighborhood. The architects were Frank J. Ginocchio, Jr. and Edwin B. Cromwell.
The architectural style of the mansion is Georgian Revival, colonial type. The main material of the exterior is brick. Construction began in December 1947, and the Governor's Residence became operational officially on January 10, 1950. The first Governor to reside here was Sidney S. McMath, who moved in on February 3, 1950. Significant additions to the mansion were completed during the administration of Michael Huckabee.
From 1986–1991, footage of the mansion was used for the television program Designing Women to represent the Atlanta home of character Suzanne Sugarbaker, played by Delta Burke. In 2008, footage of the mansion was also used for the television program 30 Rock to represent the home of a character played by Steve Martin.