Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 04/07/10
SUMMARY
The Ida Waldran House, which was built c. 1924, is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion C with local significance as a relatively rare example of a Dutch Colonial Revival house in Conway. This style is derived from the early Dutch houses of the northeastern United States, which were built in the eighteenth century, particularly in the lower parts of New York and New Jersey. [1] The Ida Waldran House is also being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion B for its association with Ida Waldran, who devoted her life to education in Arkansas, first teaching in the public school system in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and later as a professor and dean at the Arkansas State Normal School in Conway, Arkansas.
[1] http://www.antiquehome.oeg/Architectural-Style/dutch-colonial.htm, accessed 23 April 2009.
ELABORATION
Faulkner County was organized from parts of Conway County and Pulaski County as a result of a State legislative act that was approved April 12, 1873. In addition to defining the boundaries of the county, the act stated that Conway Station was to be the temporary seat of justice.[1] However, the temporary seat became the permanent seat.
Conway was created and platted in 1871 when Colonel Asa Peter Robinson, an official with the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, was offered a section of land as a reward for his services to the company as the chief engineer. Robinson chose a section of land, split by the railroad tracks, about thirty miles northwest of Little Rock. Allocating the section to the south of the railroad tracks as his private hunting ground and the northeast quarter as his town site, Robinson named it Conway Station.Centered around the railroad depot, the town grew and eventually the name was shortened to Conway. [2]
Hendrix College, the first of Conway’s three institutions of higher education, relocated to Conway from Altus in 1890.[3] Central College was established in 1892, followed by Arkansas State Normal School in 1907. Arkansas State Normal School was later named Arkansas State Teachers College, then State College of Arkansas, and in 1975, after reaching university status, was renamed again to the current University of Central Arkansas. [4] While all three colleges were constructed outside the original boundaries of Conway, the colleges themselves are responsible for the development to the edges of the town.[5]
The Arkansas State Normal School was created in 1907 by the Arkansas State Legislature to train students to become teachers.[6] In 1908, the lands to the east of the Normal School campus were replatted by Ida B. Frauenthal, et al., and filed and recorded June 6, 1908. This replatted area, the Boulevard Addition to the City of Conway, was laid out in a grid fashion and included the campus of Central College. Most of the blocks in this addition were divided into smaller lots and all blocks and lots were assigned a number.[7] With the Arkansas State Normal School to the west of Boulevard Addition, and Central College within the Addition, the area began to develop as faculty members of both schools and others bought property and built houses.
The Ida Waldran House was built c. 1924 and this is indicated by the purchase of the property in 1918 by Ida Waldran and her physical addresses, according to the Conway telephone directories, for the years 1924 and 1925.[8] The house is a relatively rare example of Dutch Colonial Revival architecture in Conway. With its gambrel roof and shed dormer across the front of the house, the architecture is typical of the houses built by Dutch colonists who settled in eighteenth century in the northeastern United States, particularly in the lower parts of New York and New Jersey. [9] The accentuated front door has a decorative crown pediment supported by rounded columns that form the entry porch. Above the front door is a semi-circular fanlight window.
Ida Waldran was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1866 into an old Southern family. After attending public schools in Baltimore, Maryland, and then graduating from Highbee Institute in Memphis and Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Waldran did post-graduate work at several universities including Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.Waldran was the principal of the Peabody School in Fort Smith, Arkansas and later the head of the English department at Fort Smith High School. Upon the recommendation from the Superintendent of the Fort Smith Public Schools, she became the first English professor at the newly created Arkansas State Normal School in 1908.[10] By 1915, Waldran had been appointed the Normal School’s first Dean of Women, a position she held until her death in 1937.[11]
As the first English professor at the Arkansas State Normal School, Waldran not only helped in the development of the English department but also helped design the course of study for the future teachers. She played an active role in the lives of her students at the Normal School as she administered the extensive responsibilities of the Dean of Women. She served on several faculty committees that addressed the welfare of female students, and acted as an advisor to various student organizations. Her office distributed the student loan fund of the Arkansas Federation of Women’s Club. She also assisted the students in securing employment while they attended school. All social activities were scheduled and approved by her. Additionally, it was only with her consent that female students were allowed to reside in the various boarding and rooming houses near the campus.[12] Waldran, along with another faculty member, is credited with choosing purple and grey as the official colors for the Arkansas State Normal School. [13]
Waldran devoted her life to education and was loved by both faculty and student body. Shortly after her death, the newly built auditorium at the Arkansas State Teachers College was named Waldran Auditorium, in honor of her.[14] She was the last original faculty member of the school.
Waldran’s property was sold by her executor after her death and has been well maintained over the years. The house, today, retains its original charm and character and is an excellent example of a Dutch Colonial Revival house. Additionally, it is an important part of Conway’s history of education.
[1]http://backwardbranch.com/arfaulkner/index.html, accessed 24 April 2009.
[2] http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/historic-properties/national-register/results.asp?county=&city=conway, accessed 24 April 2009.
[3] http://www.hendrix.edu/abouthendrix/about/aspx?id=555, accessed 25 April 2009.
[4] http://cbc.edu/future_students.aspx?id=94, accessed 24 April 2009. Central College is now known as Central Baptist College.
[5] http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/historic-properties/_search_nomination_popup.asp?id=351, accessed 25 April 2009.
[6] http://www.uca.edu/100/, accessed 24 April 2009; Classes did not begin at the Normal School until 1908.
[7]Map of Boulevard Addition to the City of Conway, replatted 1908 and filed and recorded June 6, 1908 in the Records of Town Plots, page 5, Faulkner County Courthouse, Conway, Arkansas.
[8] In 1924, Ida Waldran is listed in the telephone directory at 815 Baridon Street. In 1925, her address is 613 Bruce Street. Sometime between 1929 and 1930, the houses on Bruce Street and all streets running parallel to it were renumbered. Thus, the 600 block of Bruce Street became the 1800 block, and 613 Bruce Street became 1817 Bruce Street. This information is based on a careful examination of Southwestern Bell Telephone Directories and Conway, Arkansas City Directories between the years of 1914 and 1939. However, there are directories missing between 1916 and 1924. Also unavailable are the years 1932-1933 and 1936.
[9] Historic Homes of Conway, A Self-Guided Tour, “Dutch Colonial Revival.” Printed in Conway, Arkansas by the Old Conway Preservation Society and the Faulkner County Historical Society, undated; http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/dutch-colonial.htm, accessed 21 April 2009.
[10] “Miss Waldran, Given Leave, Recuperating in Florida,” The Echo, (Conway, Arkansas),12 March 1937; “Beloved Dean of Women Dies,” Log Cabin Democrat,(Conway) 18 March 1937; The City of Memphis honored the Waldran family by naming Waldran Boulevard after them.
[11] The Scroll, 1915, Arkansas State Normal School, 9.
[12] The Scroll, 1925, Arkansas State Teachers College, 9.
[13] http://www.uca.edu/alumni/traditions.php, accessed 22 April 2009.
[14] “Miss Waldran To Be Honored,” Log Cabin Democrat, (Conway, Arkansas), 29 April 1937. Waldran Auditorium was sometimes referred to in its early days as the Ida Waldran Chapel.
SIGNIFICANCE
The Ida Waldran House, which was built c. 1924, is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion C with local significance for its significance as a relatively rare example of a Dutch Colonial Revival house in Conway. This type of architecture was popular among Dutch colonists during the eighteenth century in the northeastern United States, particularly the lower parts of New York and New Jersey.[1] The Ida Waldran House is also being nominated to the Arkansas Register with local significance under Criterion B for its association with Ida Waldran. This was the home of Ida Waldran, who was an influential and highly respected educator in Conway beginning in 1908 when she was appointed as the first English professor at the newly created Arkansas State Normal School. Waldran devoted her life to education and to her students.
[1] Historic Homes of Conway, A Self-Guided Tour, “Dutch Colonial Revival.”Printed in Conway, Arkansas by the Old Conway Preservation Society and the Faulkner County Historical Society, undated; http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/dutch-colonial.htm, accessed 21 April 2009.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Beloved Dean of Women Dies,” Log Cabin Democrat, (Conway, Arkansas) 18 March 1937.
“Miss Waldran, Given Leave, Recuperating in Florida,” The Echo, (Conway, Arkansas), 12 March 1937.
“Miss Waldran To Be Honored,” Log Cabin Democrat, (Conway, Arkansas), 29 April 1937.
“Historic Homes of Conway, A Self-Guided Tour,” Old Conway Preservation Society and the Faulkner County Historical Society, undated.
Map of Boulevard Addition to the City of Conway, replatted 1908 and filed and recorded June 6, 1908 in the Records of Town Plots, page 5, Faulkner County Courthouse, Conway, Arkansas.
The Old Conway Homeowners Association Annual Christmas Open House, December 6, 1998 brochure.
The Scroll, 1915, Arkansas State Normal School.
The Scroll, 1925, Arkansas State Teachers College.
http://backwardbranch.com/arfaulkner/index.html.
http://www.antiquehome.org/Architectural-Style/dutch-colonial.htm.
http://www.arkansaspreservation.org/historicproperties/_search_nomination_popup.asp?id=351.
http://www.hendrix.edu/abouthendrix/about/aspx?id=87&ns1_mtid=87.