Justin Matthews (1876–1955) was an Arkansas road and bridge builder and real estate developer. He helped to design and expand many areas in central

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Background

Matthews was born in 1876 near

Monticello, Arkansas Monticello ( ) is a college town in, and the county seat of, Drew County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 9,467. Founded in 1849 in the Arkansas Timberlands near the Arkansas Delta region, the city has long be ...

. He was formally trained as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

but prospered in

cottonseed oil Cottonseed oil is cooking oil from the seeds of cotton plants of various species, mainly ''Gossypium hirsutum'' and ''Gossypium herbaceum'', that are grown for cotton fiber, animal feed, and oil. Cotton seed has a similar structure to other oi ...

. In 1911, he moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, where he built roads and bridges and invested in and developed real estate on the north side of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

Development projects

Matthews laid the foundation for the development of

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

by paving 152 blocks of muddy land on the north shore of the Arkansas River across from

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. In 1914, he established an improvement district to install stormwater and sanitary sewer lines in the area, which is known as the Argenta neighborhood of North Little Rock. He built houses, office buildings, and retail shops there throughout the 1910s. In the 1920s and 1930s, Matthews developed the Park Hill and Lakewood neighborhoods in

, divided by the Sylvian Hills Highway (since renamed as John F. Kennedy Boulevard). The Edgemont area of Park Hill contains grand homes, some of which are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, while the Crestwood area contains more modest houses. Lakewood is known for the multiple lakes that Matthews built, as well as the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park, also known as the Old Mill. In both neighborhoods, Matthews sold the completed homes, as well as empty lots, and offered his company's services to build similarly sized and valued houses on them. To connect Argenta to his new developments to the north, Matthews led the construction of the Main Street viaduct in 1926. He also served as chairman of the improvement district responsible for construction of the Broadway Bridge, which connected North Little Rock to Little Rock. Matthews was appointed to the Arkansas Highway Commission in 1927. He donated several parcels to the city of North Little Rock to be developed into small city parks. The '' Arkansas Gazette's'' 1955 obituary said the businessman was credited for having "transformed a wilderness into a great community with homes, stores, schools, churches and service establishments", and noted "Justin Matthews built or had part in the building of more structures than any other man who ever lived and labored in Arkansas."The Times (North Little Rock, Arkansas), "He fashioned city's look and lifestyle," September 17, 1998, 9C.

Personal

Matthews was married twice. His first wife, Mary Agnes Somers Matthews, died November 22, 1933. The couple are buried side by side on the front row of

Mount Holly Cemetery Mount Holly Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in the Quapaw Quarter area of downtown Little Rock in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and is the burial place for numerous Arkansans of note. It was listed on the National Register of Historic ...

in downtown Little Rock. The graves are marked by a pair of distinctively carved religious figures -

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

holding the

Christ child The Christ Child, also known as Divine Infant, Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, the Divine Child, Child Jesus, the Holy Child, Santo Niño, and to some as Señor Noemi refers to Jesus Christ from his nativity to age 12. The four canonical gospels, a ...

, and the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

. Both monuments were fashioned from white marble. He was survived by his second wife, Robin. Non-licensed architect Frank Carmean, a gifted and well respected talent, was employed by the Justin Matthews Company. He copied famed structures in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and created new designs for Matthews' Arkansas clients.

Works

*The T.R. Pugh Mill, also known as the Old Mill, in the Lakewood area of North Little Rock, Arkansas. *The Wavey Roof House, mistakenly referenced as Matthews-Phebus House, 564 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), not NRHP-listed * Cherry House, 217 Dooley Rd. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Joseph E. England Jr. House, 313 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Jeffries House, 415 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Matthews House, 406 Goshen North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin), NRHP-listed * Matthews-Bradshaw House, 524 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Matthews-Bryan House, 320 Dooley Rd. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Matthews-Dillon House, 701 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Matthews-Godt House, 248 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Matthews-MacFadyen House, 206 Dooley Rd. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Owings House, 563 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed * Roundtop Filling Station, Intersection of Roundtop and Trammel Roads Sherwood, AR (Matthews, Justin, Co.) NRHP-listed * Young House, 436 Skyline Dr. North Little Rock (Matthews, Justin, Co.), NRHP-listed *Multiple other houses located on Skyline Drive and in the Crestwood neighborhood of Park Hill in North Little Rock, Arkansas, not NRHP-listed *Two uniquely designed

gasoline station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gaso ...

s in Little Rock, since demolished

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Justin 1876 births 1955 deaths Real estate and property developers People from Monticello, Arkansas Businesspeople from Little Rock, Arkansas