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June 16, 2025

Music Building at UAM Listed on National Register of Historic Places

UAM Music Building

The Music Building at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, formerly known as the Fine Arts Building, has been officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The designation recognizes the building’s architectural and historical significance, affirming its value as a structure worthy of preservation.

Constructed between 1934 and 1935, the Music Building was one of several campus projects funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), a New Deal-era federal program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and designed to boost the economy during the Great Depression through large-scale public infrastructure investments. The PWA supported construction on college campuses across Arkansas, including at what was then the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical College (renamed the Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1939 and the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1971). PWA funding contributed to at least three projects on the campus, resulting in the construction of approximately 10 buildings. Six of those buildings, including the Music Building, remain in use today at UAM.

Designed by architect A. N. McAninch and constructed by Posey and Edwards, the Music Building reflects both the priorities of the PWA and the architectural style of its time. Originally named the Fine Arts Building, it was renamed in 1976 following the opening of the Fine Arts Center on campus. The structure features a steel frame, concrete poured on steel joists and stone exterior walls. Its Tudor Revival design, accented with Gothic Revival elements, was chosen to express a sense of stability and tradition. An A-frame attic and much of the original detailing have been preserved.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official federal list of properties deemed historically significant and worthy of preservation. For more information about the program, visit the Arkansas Heritage website.

UAM Fine Arts Building

Above: The Fine Arts Building depicted in an architectural rendering from the 1930s.