Last updated on May 27th, 2024 at 02:30 pm

A city’s downtown is its heartbeat—Little Rock is undoubtedly alive and well, and its downtown celebrates that fact with enthusiasm. One of the city’s best assets is its restored area. Downtown Little Rock is anchored by the Robinson Center Performance Hall and the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center and Park, both located on the Arkansas River banks. Between the layers of history and heritage, there are also layers of culture and modern style.

This guide will assist you in evaluating different residential architects in Little Rock to help you build your dream home. Each of the companies on this list has extensive experience with various structures and designs.

Polk Stanley Wilcox

801 South Spring Street, Little Rock, AR 72201

Based in Little Rock and Fayetteville, Polk Stanley Wilcox is a full-service programming, architectural, planning, and interior design firm. It has worked on commercial, medical, education, master planning, and adaptive reuse projects. Polk Stanley Wilcox seeks feasible strategies for each project focused on quality and value and is dedicated to client service and follow-through.

Steve Kinzler has worked on over 1,000 commercial facilities in Arkansas, specializing in programming, sustainable planning, design, and administration. Mr. Kinzler has been a renowned architect in Arkansas for over 42 years and has served on numerous boards for professional architectural organizations. He works alongside Joe Stanley, who has been in practice for 42 years. He is now an advisor to the firm, mainly for marketing and community service outreach, as a volunteer board member of the Little Rock-based 501c(3) non-profit, studioMAIN.

Under Mr. Kinzler and Mr. Stanley’s leadership, the firm’s works have been repeatedly featured by the press, including in the pages of Architect Magazine, AY Magazine, Modern Steel Magazine, Arkansas Times Magazine, Arkansas Business Magazine, and South Central Construction Magazine.

Fennell Purifoy Architects

100 River Bluff Drive, Suite 320, Little Rock, AR 72202

Based in Little Rock, Fennell Purifoy Architects provides sustainable and design-driven solutions to a wide range of institutional, commercial, residential, and community clients. Leading the firm are principals Tom Fennell and Phil Purifoy. Mr. Fennell is a LEED Accredited Professional and an NCARB-certified professional architect with licenses in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Mr. Purifoy served as President of the AIA Arkansas Chapter in 2001. He received the Dick Savage Memorial Award from the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2003 for outstanding service to the chapter and the profession.

Fennell Purifoy Architects has received numerous awards thanks to years of hard work and dedication to its craft, including multiple honors from the American Institute of Architects Arkansas Chapter for its works on Joblin, Combs, Keller, and Mountaintop Residences. It was also recognized and featured by Arkansas Business Magazine, Little Rock Soiree, ArchDaily, and The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

AMR Architects, Inc.

1424 Main Street, Suite 105, Little Rock, AR 72202 

AMR Architects was established in 1982 with one goal in mind: design buildings that improve the environment and work for their owners and occupants while also bringing joy to their daily lives. Since then, its work has demonstrated that dynamic and imaginative architecture can achieve these goals. The firm offers full architectural services, interior design, site master planning, project phasing, space planning, model making, BIM, furniture design, construction observation, and LEED certification.

AMR has received numerous design awards during its three decades of work, including the Award of Excellence for Outstanding Adaptive Reuse Project from Main Street Arkansas, the Merit Award from AIA Arkansas, the Bronze Award from ASID South Central Region, the Outstanding Achievement in Adaptive Reuse Award from Preserve Arkansas, and an Honorable Mention from the Fay Jones School Alumni Design.

Williams & Dean Associated Architects, Inc.

18 Corporate Hill Drive, Suite 210, Little Rock, AR 72205

Williams & Dean Associated Architects employs field-based architects who are imaginative and creative, and it is one of the few architectural firms with interior design professionals and technicians on staff. Williams & Dean—based in Little Rock and Texarkana—specializes in architecture, development, and interior design. Doing so allows the firm to assist clients with all aspects of project design, including exterior design and treatments.

In 1996, John Johnson joined the firm; he was promoted to principal in 2006. John works closely with developers and contractors, participating in all project stages, from schematic design to construction administration. Although John has a diverse project portfolio, large-scale multi-family housing has been his primary focus. Under his leadership, the firm has received multiple awards, including six honors during the 2019 South Central Chapter Award of Excellence Gala, the ASID South Central Chapter Excellence in Design Award (2017-2018), and taking 1st place in the Emerging Green Builders Natural Design Competition.

Herron Horton Architects

1219 S Spring Street, Little Rock, AR 72202

Herron Horton Architects has been serving Arkansas since 2000, offering a sublime architecture that encapsulates its clients’ vision, sense of place, and purpose. The creative collaboration between the team and clients is among the things that make it a remarkable firm. In addition, the team passionately gives back to its community through various non-profit work. Jennifer Herron, AIA and Jeff Horton, AIA, LEED AP lead the firm that serves Little Rock and other areas in Arkansas. Herron is a seasoned architect with an eye for smart designs that interact with nature, space, and the human spirit. While Horton is a creative leader who leverages technology and integrates it with their designs. This allows them to create design details that keep the firm’s work among the best in the area.

Herron Horton Architects’ expertise in architecture is further highlighted by its collection of works from residential to commercial projects. Featured below is the West Little Rock residence designed for a family from Turkey looking for a contemporary home. The home, featured in the 2016 issue of At Home in Arkansas is completed in collaboration with interior designer Meridith Hamilton Ranouil of MLH Designs. The home boasts neutral colors partnered with simple forms and floor plans that celebrate the natural flow of the house from indoors to outdoors, perfect for relaxation and gatherings.

Taggart Design Group

811 North Spruce, Little Rock, AR 72205

Taggart Architecture is a Little Rock-based design firm specializing in projects that require a high level of design sensitivity, technical expertise, and hands-on principal involvement. The firm has been providing full-service architecture and construction for its clients in Little Rock and Hot Springs since its founding in 2008.

Founder Burt Taggart worked as a draftsman for North Little Rock architecture firm Clements & Associates starting in 1998. At the peak of the 2008 economic collapse, he and his father started the architectural, interior design, and construction firm Taggart Design Group. The firm has added two full-time employees since, and both project load and revenue have risen.

Numerous publications have featured the firm’s exemplary work, including The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, At Home Arkansas, Arkansas Life, AY Magazine, and Arkansas Business.

Yeary Lindsey Architects

3416 Old Cantrell Road, Little Rock, AR  72202

Yeary Lindsey Architects strives to provide the highest personal service to its clients while also producing high-quality architecture. The firm believes that their ability to respond to the needs of clients is what makes it successful. Yeary Lindsey Architects specializes in the design of large and small custom homes and new additions and home renovations. Several small commercial and institutional projects have also been completed.

Principals James M. Yeary and Ellen Powell Yeary lead the firm. Jim and Ellen received their bachelor’s degrees in architecture from the University of Arkansas in 1984. Jim has been licensed since 1990. He has a diverse background in architectural design, including commercial, public school, university, and residential projects. Ellen was licensed in 1989 and started her one-person business in 1990, specializing in single-family home remodeling and new home design. Yeary Lindsey Architects is the result of this office’s evolution. Their late partner, Carolyn Lindsey graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1983 and became a principal with the firm in 1995. She contributed widely to the success of the firm before her untimely passing in 2020.

Under their combined leadership, the company has been featured multiple times in At Home in Arkansas, Arkansas Life, and The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Rogue Architecture, PLLC

300 S Spring Street, Suite 720, Little Rock, AR 72201

With over a decade of experience in the industry, Rogue Architecture is a small firm specializing in single-family residential and light commercial architecture, design, and construction. It is a client-focused firm dedicated to providing superb service, paying close attention to the schedule and budget while ensuring that every project is designed and built well and will be a sound investment for years to come.

Leading the company is Jeremiah Russell, who graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Master of Architecture in 2003. From 2004 to 2014, he worked for several firms in Florida, Virginia, and Arkansas, gaining experience building spaces for the aviation, retail, office, multi-family, and historic preservation sectors, as well as custom residences. He took the ultimate risk in 2014 and founded Rogue Architecture. Since then, his experience has continued to grow. The firm now has its work recognized by publications like Arkansas Times, The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and MSN.

Smith Associates Architects, PA

2701 Kavanaugh Boulevard, Suite 208, Little Rock, AR 72205

Founded in 1992, Smith Associates Architects, is an architectural firm located in the historic Hillcrest neighborhood. It specializes in architecture and design for its clients in Little Rock and Cabot. The firm has also been honored to have its works featured by renowned press members like The Commercial Appeal and Arkansas Life.

Scott Smith is a registered architect and president of Smith Associates Architects. While earning a BA from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1982, Scott met his soon-to-be business partner and bride. In 1986, Scott became registered in Arkansas and founded Smith Associates in 1992. Pam Smith is an interior designer and owner of Smith Designs, an interior design consulting firm. Pam holds a Bachelor of Science in Home Economics from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Kip A. Moore & Associates, P.A.

109 E C Avenue, North Little Rock, AR 72116

Kip A. Moore & Associates’ services include restaurant, residential, and commercial design projects as well as providing architectural documents for franchise and franchisee operators as needed for permitting. The firm collaborates closely with clients to transform their ideas into construction documents. The company accomplishes these goals by constructing buildings, never losing sight of its vision while completing the project on time.

Kip A. Moore & Associates collaborates with a group of engineering consultants to offer a full-service design solution. Whether it’s a new ground-up building, a tenant finish-out, a remodel, or an addition, it is always committed to serving clients.

Currently leading the firm is Kristy Angyal, who graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1986 with a degree in Architecture. She has served companies in Pennsylvania and Arkansas and is currently licensed in over 20 states. Her design background includes restaurants, retail spaces, medical clinics, multi-family housing, banks, churches, and schools. Kristy became president and owner of Kip A. Moore & Associates in 2007.