Hillcrest is a National Register historic district of about 700 acres in central Little Rock, built mostly between the 1890s and 1940 as a streetcar suburb. Craftsman bungalows line steep streets, and Kavanaugh Boulevard carries its shops and restaurants.
The feel
Hillcrest started as Pulaski Heights. Michigan investors formed the Pulaski Heights Land Company and bought about 800 acres in 1891, and streetcar service arrived in 1903. The town incorporated in 1905 and joined Little Rock in 1916. Streetcars stopped in 1947, but the pattern stayed: houses close together on hills, with a commercial strip along the old line. Kavanaugh Boulevard takes its name from its builder, William Marmaduke Kavanaugh. The Hillcrest Residents Association calls the neighborhood the Heart of Little Rock.
The homes
The Hillcrest Historic District was listed on the National Register in 1990 and expanded in 1992. Most houses were built from the early 1890s to 1940. Craftsman bungalows are the most common type, about 38 percent of the district, followed by English Revival houses. You will also find Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Foursquare and Prairie homes. Midland Hills, platted from 1908 to 1911, was the first Little Rock addition laid out with curving streets instead of a grid.
Schools
Hillcrest is in the Little Rock School District. Mount St. Mary Academy, a private Catholic school founded in 1851, has been on Kavanaugh Boulevard since 1908. The district adopted new high school zones in August 2026 ahead of opening Little Rock West High School in 2027. Attendance zones vary by address and can change, so confirm a specific home's schools with the district.
Getting around
Kavanaugh Boulevard, the old streetcar route, curves through the neighborhood and ties it to the Heights on the west. Markham Street and Cantrell Road give quick routes downtown, and University Avenue and I-630 are close by to the south. UAMS and the State Capitol are short drives. Many residents walk to Kavanaugh for coffee and dinner.
Life here
Kavanaugh Boulevard has local restaurants, bars and shops in older commercial buildings, including the 1915 Morgan Smith Building, which once held the Pulaski Heights town hall. Allsopp Park fills two wooded ravines and was dedicated in 1931; the south ravine still has concrete piers from an old footbridge to the streetcar line. Knoop Park has been home to the city's water works since 1886. War Memorial Park and the Little Rock Zoo are a short drive south.
Owning here
Pulaski County property tax follows Arkansas law: real property is assessed at 20 percent of market value, and the local millage rate applies to that figure. Owner-occupants who file a homestead claim can get a state credit, up to $600 on 2026 bills. Amendment 79 freezes the assessed value of a homestead owned by someone 65 or older or disabled. National Register listing on its own does not limit what owners do with private funds. Most streets have no mandatory HOA. Many homes are 80 to 130 years old, so check wiring, plumbing, foundations and drainage on sloped lots. Homes built before 1978 require a federal lead-based paint disclosure.
