History

1885 - Benjamin J. Bartlett: The exact date that Mr. Bartlett opened his practice is not known. In those days architects were highly mobile. He settled in Little Rock after having worked in Boston, Chicago and Des Moines. His first project was the Blind School, which was moved from Arkadelphia to Little Rock. On April 1, 1885 the State approved $20,000 for this project and on May 21, Mr. Bartlett drew his first check. Charles L. Thompson, a young draftsman with a great deal of experience, joined Mr. Bartlett in 1886.
1888 - Bartlett & Thompson: Their offices were at Markham and Spring Streets in Little Rock, probably across the street from where our office is today. In 1889 they received a commission to do a courthouse in Rosedale, Mississippi and Mr. Bartlett left the firm in 1890 to finish that project. He left the business to Charles Thompson.
1890 - Charles L. Thompson: At age 21, Mr. Thompson had decided to make Little Rock his permanent home. He had a great sense of civic responsibility and was an astute businessman.
1891 - Rickon & Thompson: Fred J. H. Rickon was an engineer. When he became a partner with Mr. Thompson, it marked one of the earliest professional associations of an architect and engineer within the same firm. Their office was in the Allis Building across the street from the Old State House. They worked together six years before dissolving their partnership.
1897 - Charles L. Thompson: The years from 1897-1916 were the most productive of Thompson's long professional career. His practice expanded from primarily residential work to include institutional and commercial projects.
1916 - Thompson & Harding: At this time Mr. Thompson had been looking for a younger person to share the responsibilities of the firm. Tom Harding, the son of an architect, was asked to join him. The firm, using Mr. Thompson's established reputation, began to attract large scale projects such as commercial buildings, schools and public buildings.
1926 - Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio: Sanders & Ginocchio merged their architectural practices with Mr. Thompson and their combined talents helped the firm prosper during the Depression.
1938 - Sanders & Ginocchio: During the Depression, churches and schools were the mainstay of the firm's work. After 52 years of practice, Mr. Thompson retired in 1938. He remained very active in various civic organizations. Major retail buildings were designed in downtown Little Rock, among them the Sears-Roebuck store at 7th and Main and the M.M. Cohn store at 510 Main Street.
1941 - Ginocchio & Cromwell: Sanders retired and Ed Cromwell joined the firm in 1941 and John Truemper in 1942. The firm's offices were on the second floor of the Hall Building, on the corner of Capitol Ave. and Louisiana. Ginocchio and Cromwell were responsible for providing the firm with a strong sense of continuity from the 1940's through the 1950's. A large number of military projects at Camp Robinson were completed during this period.
1947 - Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates: The firm expanded after the war. Charles Carter, who joined the firm in 1946, established the Construction Administration Department and served as secretary-treasurer of the firm. He died in 1969. The firm earned a reputation for excellence with its master plan and the first buildings at the Little Rock Junior College (the predecessor of UALR), and its design of the Governor's Mansion.
1950-60: 1950 brought two new partners to the firm: Bob Millett and Dietrich Neyland. In 1954 the firm moved to 416 Center Street. The first engineer to join the firm since Fred Rickon was Ben Dees, who joined the firm in 1954. He soon developed a very strong engineering department with the addition of Ollie Gatchell in 1956 and Bill Woodsmall in 1960.
1961 - Ginocchio, Cromwell, Carter, Dees & Neyland: The multi-disciplinary character of the firm made it possible to design many large projects and expand the firm's capabilities. In 1962 Ben Dees died.
1962 - Ginocchio, Cromwell, Carter & Neyland, Inc.: Since the firm was growing rapidly, a "talent pool" of young architects was hired. Included in the group was Gene Levy who joined in 1962. During this period the firm gained recognition in the design of industrial buildings.
1969 - Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Millett & Gatchell, Inc.: Frank Ginocchio and Charles Carter died in early 1969. Ray Parker joined in 1970 to manage the Construction Administration Department. Brent Thompson joined the firm in 1972.
1974 - Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Levy & Gatchell, Inc.: Bob Millett died in 1974. Due to its rapid growth, the firm designed a new office building, named the Cromwell Building and relocated in May 1975.
1981 - Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Parker, Woodsmall, Inc.: Neyland retired April 1, 1980 and Ollie Gatchell died in August 1980. Ed Cromwell retired in 1984. The firm expanded its practice nationwide and overseas through work with the Department of Defense and a medical development client. In 1985 Cromwell celebrated its 100th year in continuous practice.
1988 - Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Thompson, Woodsmall, Inc.: Ray Parker died in March 1994. John Truemper retired in June 1994. Bill Woodsmall died in October of 1999. The firm's expertise expanded to include correctional and judicial work.
2000 Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc.: To usher in the new millennium, the firmšs name changed again to Cromwell Architect Engineers in honor of one of the most influential men in the firmšs history and the innovative spirit of collaboration between both architects and engineers. On September 22, 2001, the firmšs namesake Edwin B. Cromwell died at the age of 91. His dedication and leadership laid the foundation for the revitalization of downtown Little Rock and the preservation of many historical landmarks.
2005 120 Years of Excellence: The firm stands poised to deliver the highest standards of quality using the latest technology. Cromwellšs historical knowledge, coupled with our planning expertise, gives us a distinct edge in our approach to facility planning. With a spirit of teamwork, we strive to meet our clientšs needs today and into the future.

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