Architecture and Design Network Panelists Discuss 'The Modernist Legacy of Noland Blass' on May 9 in Little Rock

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The Worthen Bank building at Capitol and Center streets in Little Rock (now the Bank of America) was considered the finest corporate work designed by the late architect Noland Blass.

LITTLE ROCK — The Architecture and Design Network will present "The Modernist Legacy of Noland Blass" on Tuesday, May 9, at the Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E. 9th St., in Little Rock. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. in the center's Lecture Hall, following a 5:30 p.m. reception.

This will be a panel discussion with Gordon Duckworth, AIA, senior associate and project architect at Wittenberg, Delony and Davidson; Callie Williams, National Register historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program; and Mason Toms, preservation service and design coordinator for Main Street Arkansas. This event will explore the life and legacy of Noland Blass, who was an urbane architect and community leader.

This event is part of the Architecture and Design Network's 2016-2017 June Freeman Lecture Series.

The late Noland Blass (1920-1998) was born into a prominent Little Rock family that owned and operated the state's largest department store, founded in the late 1800s by his grandfather, Gus Blass. After graduating from Central High, the young Blass, opting to forego joining the family business, went on to Cornell University, where he earned a degree in architecture. Following service in the U.S. Army during World War II, he returned to Little Rock and joined the architectural firm of Erhart, Eichenbaum and Rauch. By the early 1970s, after Blass had become a senior partner, the firm became known by the Blass name alone.  

Blass generated a body of work that included corporate and institutional projects as well as residential designs, many of those for family and friends. The Worthen Bank building at Capitol and Center streets in Little Rock (now the Bank of America) was considered his finest corporate work. He also designed the Arkansas Justice Building and the Arkansas Cancer Research Center. 

Known for his civic involvement, Blass was involved with urban planning and authored multiple proposals for the renewal of downtown Little Rock. He served as chairman of the city's Housing Authority Urban Design Committee. He was known for his passion for art, and he urged clients to incorporate art into their buildings and grounds. He served as chairman for the boards of the Arkansas Arts Center and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, among other organizations.  

The 2016-17 June Freeman Lecture Series is sponsored by the Architecture and Design Network with support from the Arkansas Arts Center, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, the Central Arkansas section of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and community members.

The lecture is free and open to the public, and no reservations are needed. For more information about this and other ADN programs, contact jonathan@amr-architects.com.