William L. Terry House

The William L. Terry House (also known as the Terry-Jung House) is an example of the Queen Anne architectural style, notable for its jigsaw decorative trim. It is eclectic in its details, such as the porch posts, which are Dravidian, a style imported from India. Built at 1422 Scott Street, now within the Capitol Zoning District and the MacArthur Park Historic District in Little Rock (Pulaski County), the home received a National Register of Historic Places designation on January 1, 1976. Exterior alterations have been modest. Interior alterations have been less restrained, but many features have been preserved.

The house was constructed in the mid-1880s by William Leake Terry as a family home. Terry was born in North Carolina, but his family relocated to Mississippi and then Arkansas while he was a child. He was a prominent lawyer and politician at the city, state, and national level. He served in the U.S. Congress for five terms as a Democrat, beginning in 1892.

When Terry died in 1917, the house was acquired by Joseph Jung, proprietor of the Rose City Bakery, and a number of Jung family members made it their home. The Jungs’ bakery was located at the intersection of Main and 12^th Streets; it later became Community Bakery. The house was purchased and restored by Porter Briggs in 1976. It has been sold several times since.

The house itself is a two-story frame with lap siding, containing over 2,000 square feet. It has a covered porch on the front that wraps around the side. The exterior in the twenty-first century is much the same as it was upon construction, only slightly less elaborate. The house has lost one of its two chimneys. An interior stairway was sealed off at one time for an apartment or office. Sheetrock has replaced plaster in much of the interior. One mantel piece was replaced, but another was restored. Molding of various types has largely been retained.

The house overall represents a blend of conservative massing of spaces with eclectic and even fanciful decorative detail.

For additional information:
“William L. Terry House.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Little Rock, Arkansas. On file at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/PU2937.nr.pdf (accessed November 30, 2020).

W. Christopher Barrier
Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C.