The Murphy-Hill Residential Historic District

The area experienced development over a period of 77 years, 1880-1957. What began as a low-density residential area in the latter half of the 19th Century developed into a denser traditional neighborhood between 1920 and 1940. Approximately 76% of the buildings in the Murphy-Hill Historic District were constructed in the first half of the twentieth century. The majority of these (46 percent of the total) were built between 1920 and 1940, the period corresponding with the exponential growth of El Dorado from a small agricultural community to Arkansas’s oil boom town. The district also represents a wide array of historic architectural styles ranging from the ornate Queen Anne to early “ranch” style structures. A number of revival styles are represented, including Greek, Classical, Gothic, Spanish, and a number of Colonial and English. The majority of structures are built in the Craftsman style (26 percent) and Plain/Traditional (42 percent) corresponding with the years of greatest development. Of the 121 buildings in the district, 107 were originally residential, three were multi-family residences, one was a church, and ten were commercial structures. The majority of the non-contributing structures are historic with alterations impacting historic integrity, only 20 were built after 1957.

Three of the 121 contributing properties in the district are individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places:

1. El Dorado Apartments- 420 Wilson Place (listed in 1983)

2. John Newton House- 424 N. Jackson Street (listed in 1974)

3. Charles H. Murphy, Sr. House- 900 N. Madison (listed in 1983)

The Murphy-Hill Residential Historic District

Historic Districts

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