Mena Commercial Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Mena Commercial Historic District

Mena, Polk County, Arkansas
Listed
July 22, 2009
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
09000321

About this property

The Mena Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic downtown area of Mena, Arkansas, the county seat of Polk County in western Arkansas. The district extends along Mena Street between Port Arthur and Gillham Avenues, extending a short way to the south on Sherwood Avenue, opposite the railroad tracks for which the town's existence is responsible. Mena was founded as a major railroad service town for the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad, as its site was located midway between Port Arthur, Texas and Kansas City, Missouri. The railroad located a major service yard here, and the town grew up around it. Most of its commercial center was developed between 1896 and 1940, with a variety of one and two-story commercial brick buildings in typical early 20th-century styles. The district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, includes four properties previously listed separately: the railroad station, Mena City Hall (a repurposed 1917 post office building), the former Elks Lodge, and the former Studebaker Showroom.

Location

Mena, Polk County, Arkansas
34.58566, -94.23695

Categories

COMMERCE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Elks Lodge
Colonial
0.1 mi
Old Post Office
Industrial
0.1 mi
National Guard Armory
Civil War
0.1 mi
Studebaker Showroom
Modern
0.1 mi
Polk County Courthouse
Civil War
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Devil's Backbone
1863Civil War
13.4 mi
Battle of Tula 1541
1541Colonial
14 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mena Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register?

Mena Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 22, 2009.

What type of historic resource is Mena Commercial Historic District?

Mena Commercial Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mena Commercial Historic District?

The period of significance for Mena Commercial Historic District is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1896.

Can I research the history near Mena Commercial Historic District?

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