Cromwell has rich history with area

Ever wonder who built the beautiful Courthouse on the Harrison Downtown Square? Cromwell Architects had that privilege. Staff members David Long and Jeff Overton visited and said, “We love your downtown area. It’s beautiful, but we’d definitely like to help with additional revitalization or renovation in the future.”

Cromwell Architects Engineers can trace the company’s roots all the way back to the 1800s in Arkansas. Architects had to travel from job to job then, and Benjamin Bartlett was hired to build a school for the blind in 1885. Later that land was repurposed for the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion and some of the original bricks were used to retain the historical aspect of the site. Cromwell can trace their beginning back to Bartlett and the company has enjoyed a rich history in the state, nationally and internationally.

“Cromwell in Arkansas has had a relationship with the Rockafellers over the years and assisted in bringing industry into the state,” Overton, strategic services director said.

Overton said Cromwell was celebrating their 135 anniversary and the governor’s mansion 70 years. The Hutchinsons played host to a Cromwell film crew to document a tour of the mansion and the history. The video can be seen from Cromwell's website.

“We’ve done a lot of work for the federal government. Now it’s our desire to reconnect with communities and assist in their revitalization or new construction projects,” Overton said.

Even with the company headquartered in Little Rock, Long plans to be in Harrison at least once or twice a month to connect with potential clients. “We worked with the CORE project a few years ago on some downtown possibilities. Some were completed, and some are still in the process,” Long said.

Cromwell has about 110 staff members in Little Rock and some located on the East Coast and some overseas. 

Overton said that about four years ago, Cromwell needed a larger building in Little Rock. The company purchased the former Sterling Paint Factory building and renovated it. The bottom floor are the Cromwell offices and above are 16 loft apartments. “It’s really beautiful. Residents and staff members can walk to coffee shops and there’s a restaurant in the building, too. It’s in our DNA to do projects like this so we can renovate and preserve the history of a building. Our renovation has revitalized the area of East 6th street in Little Rock. We are very proud of this accomplishment and want to help others with their areas that need revitalization.”

Cromwell has a house of engineers of all types as well as architects. “We also have a building services group who remain with the project to make sure it is functioning the way the owners hoped it would. We like to be involved in any retro fits needed, maintenance or additional growth in the future of that project.  We stay engaged with the owner —  sometimes through generations and we have all the documents digitized that aids in the history and knowledge of the building.”

“It takes a team to conceptualize and meet someone’s needs. We also have the ability to offer a 3D rendering where clients can actually walk through the space and see it true to scale to make sure everything will work as they need it to,” Long said.

To contact Cromwell for your next project call, David Long at 479-200-1512. Visit cromwell.com for additional information or to watch the video of the Governor’s Mansion tour.