Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 11/06/02

SUMMARY

The R.L. Wilson Confectionery and Restaurant, also known as the Princess Café, located at 330 South Main in downtown Jonesboro, Arkansas, is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places withlocal significance under Criterion A for the role it played in the economic development of Jonesboro.

ELABORATION

The town of Jonesboro grew tremendously with the arrival of several railroad lines, which converged at the Jonesboro station. The station was located at the beginning of Main Street, and it served as the main hub for Northeast Arkansas. These lines were mostly used for the transportation of lumber. Immediately jobs became available which caused an influx of people and money. Wooden buildings were quickly constructed in the 1870s and 1880s along the surrounding streets, particularly on Main Street. However, in 1889 a fire burnt most of the wooden structures and brick structures were rebuilt in their place. The Wilson Building was probably constructed around the turn of the century. The earliest photo of 330 South Main is dated 1900. Trade and commerce continued to flourish and the 300 block of Main Street was unofficially named "Happy Hollow" at this time.

The most significant changes to 330 South Main occurred to the building circa 1930. George Metaxas bought the building in order to open the Princess Café, which originally was located at 410 South Main. Metaxas added character to the front entrance by having it moved down to the corner of the building. Above the columns at the front entrance he added pressed tin crown molding, and above the transom windows he added a continuous band of pressed tin molding. Stucco was added to the exterior and the interior of the first floor. It is also assumed that the rear entrance was added around this time.

After speaking to several locals, it is evident that the Princess Café was a social center for downtown Main Street. Businessmen stepped in for coffee before work, and children would come there after school for ice cream. Metaxas and his café are credited for having the first Frigidaire fountain in Arkansas (1923), Metaxas introduced the first automatic phonograph to the café in 1928, and the Princess Café used the first counter freezer to make its own ice cream, "Princess Maid." The café also originated the "Cream-o-Pop," ice cream on a stick, which Metaxas eventually sold to a national distributor. People remember the name George Metaxas even today in Jonesboro. He was born in Agion, Greece, where his brother became an ambassador. He immigrated to the United States at the age of seven.

The building at 330 South Main was well known as a sporting good store through the 1960s and 1970s. The building was used by a few businesses after the sporting good store closed, but they were all short lived. The building has been vacant the last couple years. Gearhead Outfitters will occupy the first floor of this building and Young Investment Company LLC along with Sotox Sports Management will use the second floor. A pizzeria is planned to go into the rear parlor.

SIGNIFICANCE

The R.L. Wilson Confectionery and Restaurant is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criterion A for its direct association with the economic development of Jonesboro, Arkansas, as it housed several significant businesses such as Sternheimer and Neustadter Grocery, RL Wilson Candy Shop, and the Princess Café, all of which were of direct importance to Jonesboro’s economy over the years. It also contributed to the social enrichment of Jonesboro when it was known as the Princess Café from 1930 through 1945.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Stuck, Charles A. (1960). The Story of Craighead County. Stuck Publishing, Arkansas.

Williams, Harry L. (1930). The History of Craighead County, Arkansas. Published originally in Little Rock, Arkansas; reprinted by Southern Historical Press, Inc. Greensville, S.C.

Jonesboro City Directories: 1906, 1911, 1913-1914, 1916-1917, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1930, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1944, 1947.

Jonesboro Daily Tribune, March 1, 1919 and October 26, 1937

Arkansas Gazette, March 10, 1963