Villa Marre
Villa Marre is a Second Empire and Italianate home at 1321 South Scott Street near downtown in the Quapaw Quarter of Little Rock. It was built in 1881 by Angelo and Jennie Marre. Angelo Marre was a ninteenth-century transplant from Borzonaca, Italy, who made his fortune as a liquor importer and saloon owner.
Angelo Marre died in 1889 and his wife Jennie in 1904. Aftert her death the home passed from the hands of the Marre family to Arkansas Attorney General Edgar Burton Kinsworthy in 1905. Kinsworthy occupied the home for twenty-seven years. Since then house has been a nursing home, school of dance, and meeting house for Alcoholics Anonymous. Over the years the home fell into disrepair and in 1964 was condemned and scheduled to be demolished but was aquired and spared the wrecking ball by James W. Strawn, Jr. a local furniture company owner. In 1979 the home passed to the Quapaw Quarter Association, which used it as its headquarters. It has been a private home since 2002. The renovated Villa Marre is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The exterior of the Villa Marre is recognizable as the fictional Atlanta Georgia home of Sugarbaker Designs from the 1980s and 1990s CBS sitcom Designing Women which was produced by local Arkansans Harry and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.
Additional info
- Category: Landmarks ʘ
- Location: Little Rock, AR ʘ
- Camera: NIKON D7000
- Aperture: f/7.1
- Exposure: 1/250 sec.
- Focal Length: 18 mm
- ISO Speed: 100
- Taken:
- Uploaded:




Shelly Moran
commented 4 months agoAren't we glad it was rescued from demolition! It's so elegant and I enjoyed the history that goes along with it. Thanks, Joe.
frank carrico
commented 4 months agoGreat shot Joe, and wonderful history.
Cindy Stewart
commented 4 months agoThank goodness for James W, Strawn, Jr., who had enough foresight to realize the importance of the structure. Beautiful home. Nice shot.
Lolita "Lullette" Potot-Brooks
commented 4 months agoMagnificent shot, Joe! Love your caption, too... very interesting...
Larry Egger
commented 4 months agoAnother great Goble photo.
Crystal Atkinson
commented 2 months agoVery Pretty!
Allen Williamson
commented about 1 month agoSo cool! What a great shot too Joe. Thanks for the history lesson as well!