Maynard G. Krebs Memorial
Only an aging few will understand the headline. But suffice it to say that the boss LOVES demolition photos. Here, it's a shot of what we think of as the old Trailways bus station, because that's what it was when we first saw it in, oh, about 1970. It's going down so the Stephens family can add a parking lot to go with a major renovation of the Capital Hotel next door. The gray bunker won't be missed, though an odd assortment of memories linger -- government agencies on the upper floors; Iriana's original quarters; a succession of nightclubs and restaurants on the corner of Second and Main; the Army inductees loitering around the entrance; an occasoinal bus departure or two; a grim holiday meal, the only food available near the Arkansas Gazette, where we did duty monitoring a largely silent police radio.
Comments
The old Wallace Grill?
The vegetable plate was great, but the parmigiana sandwich was somehing else.
Posted by: anonymous liberal | June 6, 2006 04:35 PM
Don't forget that for many years the offices and hearing room for the AR Alcoholic Beverage Control Division were among its tennants, site of many a class of server awareness for permit applicants, hearings for contested applications for licenses and transfers of location, etc. What drama held forth between those walls!
Posted by: MysteryShopper | June 6, 2006 04:59 PM
As one of the potential military inductees in 1972 was the first time I encountered the place. I was one of the "lucky" ones that got the letter in the mail that started out "You are hereby ordered to report" and I got a bus ride to Little Rock, courtsey of the Selective Service Administration, where I took my draft physical, which I didn't pass. I was in and out of the places several more times while it was still the Trailways Bus Station, but will never forget the first time.
Posted by: ARKDEMOCRAT | June 6, 2006 06:54 PM
In the early 70's I got into a spot of trouble up Tulsa way. Had to attend my 1 year probation release hearing and found myself w/o personal transport.
Trailways to the rescue. I spent several hours laid over in that building.
Posted by: 70%er | June 6, 2006 07:04 PM
Got any pictures of them painting the yellow line down the highway? Maynard G. loved watching that too.
I made many visits to the LR Trailways station 1968-1970 when I was in high school and would take the bus to LR to visit my sister who was in nursing school at the med center. Great memories, including my first Razorback games. Razorbacks were supermen in those years. Made quite an impression on a teen-aged small town boy!
Posted by: Patrick, Pocahontas | June 6, 2006 10:38 PM
I can hear Babs Streisand singing Memories in the background as I type. I was one of the lucky ones that got to spend 6 hours at one of those the server awareness seminar. The end of every section was PAY YOUR SALES TAX OR WE'LL CRUSH YOU LIKE A BUG!
But my most endearing memory is circa 1971 when my junior high band was invited to Little Rock to Dale Bumper's inauguration. After arriving at the new bus station and a quick lunch at the eatery there, a much older gentleman leaned around the partition and watched as I urinated...and I do mean watched. It would be 2 long years before a girl named Cindy paid as close attention to little Elvis as that stranger in the bus station bathroom. Sigh....
This was my first experience of that kind and if I hadn't had 3 Cokes with my lunch, I might have been able to stop the stream and run like a scalded cat. As it were, the show lasted for what seemed like an hour, I finished, zipped up and my audience of one went back to whatever he was doing behind that narrow partition.
For the record he was not an illegal alien and did not propose to me. RIP old bus station.
Posted by: Deathbyinches | June 7, 2006 12:00 AM
Thanks for sharing, DBI.
Posted by: bopbamboom | June 7, 2006 08:56 AM
Since I am wee lad my experiences with the building are much more recent than that. The most noteworthy was having some friends from college come into town a few years ago, and we were driving through downtown trying to find a good place to eat. We drove by this building and one of my friends said: "We could try that Iranian pizza place there."
Posted by: jumpedcut | June 7, 2006 09:28 AM
Ha! Thanks for the great line, Jumpdcut. "We could try that Iranian pizza place there." I love that...
Someone earlier made mention of the Wallace Grill. It was across the street from the building now being demolished.
Posted by: Quapaw | June 7, 2006 12:51 PM
Dobie would be proud of you. So would Zelda, Thealya and Chastworth (such a nasty boy).
WORK!!!!!!
The Good Conduct Award
Central High School
Posted by: Dobie Do | June 7, 2006 03:18 PM