Academic Buildings

THE ALPHIN HUMANITIES BUILDING is named in honor of Hazel C. Alphin of El Dorado. The Alphin Building was formerly the dining hall and in 1984-85 was remodeled into a classroom and faculty office building. It now houses members of the Fine Arts, Humanities, and Language and Literature divisions. The Alphin Room, named in memory of Hendrick Alphin, is used for special meetings. The Building also contains the Kresge Art Gallery, the Fulkerson Art Studio, six classrooms, two seminar rooms, sixteen faculty offices and a faculty lounge.

THE JAMES C. BECKNELL, SR., PHYSICAL EDUCATION BUILDING was completed in 1970. It contains a large gymnasium, two smaller gymnasia, three locker rooms, a classroom, an equipment room, a weight room, six faculty offices, and an indoor swimming pool.

THE BROWN CHAPEL AND FINE ARTS BUILDING is named in memory of William Clark Brown, Sr., Allen Brown, and Josephine Brown, all of Hot Springs. The auditorium seats 500, and is used for plays, concerts, convocations, and lectures. The Edwards Pipe Organ, a Holtkamp tracker pipe organ, was installed here in 1980. The Small Chapel, used for campus worship services, holds a small Pilcher pipe organ. The Bevens Music Room on the south side of the building is used for recitals, receptions and meetings. The building also contains offices and classrooms for music faculty, piano practice rooms and a choir and band room.

THE HOLLOWAY THEATRE was completed in 1991, and is named in honor of I. Graham Holloway ’80. It is a state-of-the-art facility for collegiate theatre productions and the study of the theatre arts. It contains a ‘black box’ theatre seating 150 for either three-quarter-round or proscenium theatre, and ample support facilities, including a rehearsal room, a green room, set and costume workshops, and large storage areas. The theatre is the home of the Harlequin Theatre.

THE LYON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS BUILDING was completed in 1993. This three-story, state-of-the-art business education building is home to both the Business and Economics Division and the Social Sciences Division. It contains the Nucor Auditorium, the AP&L-Entergy Computer Center, a computer classroom, five classrooms (including four Harvard Business School-style lecture rooms), two conference rooms, three seminar rooms, and four team rooms. It also houses the Small Business Center and twenty-two faculty offices. The building’s clock tower contains the 24-bell Tower Campbell Carillon.

THE MABEE-SIMPSON LIBRARY was built in 1975 and renovated and expanded in 1995. It contains stacks, a faculty lounge, seminar rooms, offices, workrooms, reference and periodical collections, and the Dorothy P. Sydenstricker Room, which houses the College’s archives and rare book collection. The Library also houses the Educational Media Center.

THE SMITH SCIENCE BUILDING is named in memory of J. Paul Smith of Jonesboro. It houses the Natural Science and Mathematics Division, and contains three large classrooms, a lecture hall, six science laboratories, twelve faculty offices, and a computer-aided instructional system.

THE ADMISSION AND ALUMNI CENTER, located in what was formerly the President’s House, houses the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, the Director of Alumni Relations, and their staffs. It provides a reception area for prospective students, their parents, and alumni, as well as private conference areas.

BRADLEY MANOR is the official residence of the President of Lyon College. It is named in honor of the family of Marion Bradley Lyon.

EDWARDS COMMONS includes the College Union and Edwards Dining Hall. The College Union includes Student Life offices, the bookstore, a campus post office, recreation and meeting rooms, and three lounges. The Edwards Dining Hall was completed in 1983. It is named for the late John W. Edwards and the late Lucille Welman Edwards and contains a large dining hall, smaller meeting rooms, kitchen and serving areas, and the President’s Dining Room.

THE GRIGSBY HOUSE is a log house (circa 1867) which was moved from nearby Bethesda and restored by the College. It was dedicated in 1983 and provides a museum and working laboratory for folklore and historic preservation classes.

THE MARSHALL HUSER TRACK AND INTRAMURAL FIELD is built to Olympic specifications and is marked metrically. It is equipped for track meets and has a field in the center for intramural football and soccer. The College’s MAINTENANCE FACILITY is located at the south end of the track.

THE MORROW QUADRANGLE BUILDING is named in memory of John Patterson Morrow, Sr., a former chairman of the Board of Trustees. The building houses some Student Services offices and the APPLE Project and serves as a reception and meeting area for students.

THE NICHOLS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING was completed in 1975 and named in honor of the late Shuford R. Nichols ’30, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees. It houses offices for most of the administrative components of the College.

Residence Halls

BLANDFORD HALL is named in memory of Dr. Eugene C. Blandford, a former professor of Latin. It houses 32 students.

THE BARTON STUDENT HOUSING UNITS are named in honor of Mary Barton of El Dorado. They house 48 students in six units, each of which contains four bedrooms, two baths, and a central living area.

THE BROWN STUDENT HOUSING UNITS are named in honor of the Reverend Charles W. Brown of El Dorado, Arkansas. Located just west of the Barton units, they house 36 students in six units.

BRYAN HALL is named in honor of the late Rountree C. and Willie D. Bryan of Osceola. It houses 48 students.

HOKE and McCAIN HALLS house 92 students in two wings, named in honor of College trustee Charles J. Hoke of El Dorado, Arkansas, and Dr. Paul M. McCain, a former president of Lyon College. Together, Hoke and McCain Halls, McRae Hall, and Wilson and Rogers Hall comprise YOUNG HOUSE. the first house in the College’s House System, named in honor of Robert A. Young, III.

LOVE HALL is named in memory of Gordon Love of Hughes. It houses 32 students.

McRAE HALL is named in memory of Gov. Thomas C. McRae and Carleton McRae ’29. Completed in 1989, it houses 35 students in double-occupancy suites.

SPRAGINS HALL is named in memory of Dr. John D. Spragins, a former president of Lyon College. This was the first building constructed on the present-day campus and was renovated in 1986. The building contains fifteen suites with four students sharing two bedrooms, two study rooms and a bath. It houses 60 students.

WILSON & ROGERS HALL houses 35 students in double-occupancy suites and was completed in 1989. It is named in honor of two College trustees, Dr. R. Sloan Wilson of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Doyle W. Rogers, Jr., of Batesville.

Other Facilities

THE WILLIE BRYAN BRIDGE AND WALKWAY around the college lake was completed in 1981.

THE COUCH MEMORIAL GARDEN, named in memory of the late Jessie J. Couch, contains the Ellis G. Mosley Alumni Fountain, benches, and landscaped areas of shrubs and trees. The Couch Garden is the scene of Commencement each May.

THE FACULTY HOUSE is located on 23rd Street adjacent to the campus. It contains meeting rooms and a guest suite for two persons.

THE MARION BRADLEY LYON GUEST HOUSE is located on 23rd Street adjacent to the campus. It contains guest suites accommodating up to six persons. Its decoration and most of its furnishings were a gift from Mrs. Lyon.

SCOTS FIELD, Lyon’s new baseball park, was completed in 1997.

SCULPTURE ON CAMPUS: Located at the southeast corner of the Edwards Commons is a sculpture entitled “Stray Streak,” created in 1985 by Don Osborn. In the plaza between the Edwards Commons and the Holloway Theatre is a sculpture entitled “Open Stele,” created in 1991 by Don Shaw.

THE TENNIS COURTS just east of the Becknell Building are surfaced with flintkote. Two older concrete courts are located just west of the Smith Science Building.