0 Neck of the Woods: Hillcrest

Since there are so many areas that make up this fine city of ours, each unique and special in its own way, we've decided to add a weekly Neck of the Woods feature to Living the Home Life. Since we focused on the Cooper-Young district of Memphis earlier this week, we opted to feature its Little Rock counterpart, Hillcrest, in the first Neck of the Woods.

Established in the late 19th century, most of Hillcrest as we know it was built in the early part of the 20th century. Little Rock's first streetcar system once extended into Hillcrest, with its entry into the neighborhood near the current intersection of Markham Street and Kavanaugh Boulevard in the Stifft's Station neighborhood. (Pretty nifty, huh?) The Hillcrest Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the country's official list of historically significant properties worthy of preservation, November 18, 1990.

Hillcrest is home to some of Little Rock's most popular local shopping and dining hot spots, including Box Turtle, Ciao Baci and Ferneau. Additionally, part of Hillcrest overlooks Allsopp Park, a major city park nestled between Hillcrest on the south side and the corporate/design-oriented Riverdale neighborhood to its north.

Much of what makes Hillcrest a historic district and popular neighborhood are the sought-after houses of diverse architectural styles. Below are a few examples of the variety of homes found in the area:

The oldest remaining colonial revival house in the Hillcrest District is the Leaming House on North Cedar, built in 1900.


This house on Fairfax Avenue provides an excellent example of a prairie style home with a low-pitched hipped roof and wide overhanging boxed eaves.


This Kavanaugh Boulevard home is an example of the American foursquare homes found in the Hillcrest Historic District.


By far the most prevalent style of house in Hillcrest is the craftsman bungalow. Maybe it is the welcoming front porch or the cozy feel, but nothing makes my little heart flutter quite like a craftsman bungalow.

Rustic qualities are often found in Hillcrest bungalows. These are, for the most part, painted a dark, natural color and feature strong rustic materials.


Another type of bungalow seen often in Hillcrest sports a cross-gabled roof most often associated with "California Bungalows."

This bungalow is currently on the market! Click here to find out more.

Along with single-family homes, there are many historic multi-family buildings located within Hillcrest, such as the Fairfax condos shown below...


What's that you say? You'd love to get a sneak peak of one of these units? Well, ask and you shall receive! My sister, Jessica, and her boyfriend live at Fairfax, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind us snooping around a bit. Clean up, Jess! We're coming over! (Keep an eye out for the Fairfax condo blog post next week.)

-Cara