Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Ft. Smith, AR

Location: 30 S 6th St, Fort Smith, AR 72901

The Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Ft. Smith derives its primary significance as a symbol of the continuous federal presence in the area. From the early 1800s Ft. Smith was a main stop on the overland mail route from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco. The area also had the reputation of being “the end of civilization”, and the gateway to the West and the Indian territories of Oklahoma. As such, the federal court under Judge Robert Parker (historically known as the “hanging judge”) was active, trying 13,000 cases in 21 years. Judge Parker’s court was headquartered at the original fort and barracks, a few blocks from the present building, and is now a National Park site. Ft. Smith evolved into an area of great federal activity in the 1800s, and $100,000 was allocated for a federal courthouse and post office building in 1887. The building, completed in 1889, was located at Rogers Avenue and Sixth Street. The imposing Romanesque structure served as the main post office and as the federal courthouse until the present structure was built in 1936. The present building was constructed less than thirty feet behind the 1889 building on the same site, and workers moved from one building to the other before the 1889 building was demolished. It is not clear why the federal government decided to demolish one building and build another to fulfill the same purpose. Perhaps there was a need for more space and Ft. Smith became part of the intense federal building activity in the 1930s. In 1964, the building was expanded with the addition of two wings which were designed to compliment the 1936 structure.

The passage of the Public Buildings Act of 1926 precipitated a period of building construction that was unprecedented in the United States. The Public Buildings Act specified that the office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury would be responsible for the design and construction of all public buildings. The Ft. Smith federal building was constructed during this period, in 1936. The office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury designed the federal buildings of the early 1930s; and the Ft. Smith plan came from the office of Louis Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury. Many of the federal buildings of this period exhibit streamlined, almost austere, finishes and features; therefore, it is generally believed that Simon exerted a great deal of control over the design.

Building Facts

• Architects: Simon, Louis A.
• Construction Date: 1936 
• GSA Building Number: AR0021ZZ
• Landmark Status: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places