Elmer A. Stuck (February 2, 1900 – July 11, 1978) was an American architect in practice in Jonesboro, Arkansas from 1926 until his death in 1978. Stuck and his partners developed the leading architectural practice in the Arkansas Delta and were responsible for major projects throughout the state, including the Medical Arts Building in Hot Springs, the federal building in Helena, three county courthouses and much of the campus of Arkansas State University.

Life and career Elmer Axtell Stuck was born February 2, 1900 in Jonesboro to Elmer C. Stuck and Bessie M. Stuck, née Axtell. He was educated at Washington and Lee University and at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating from the latter in 1924 with a BArch. He worked for LaBeaume & Klein in St. Louis until 1926, when he returned to Jonesboro to open his own office. From 1928 to 1931 he worked in partnership with John Parks Almand, with whom he designed the Medical Arts Building (1930) in Hot Springs, which was the tallest building in Arkansas until 1960. He then worked independently until 1949, when he reorganized his firm as Elmer A. Stuck & Associates."Stuck, Elmer Axtell" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 544. In 1961 he elevated three associates, Sid Frier, William H. Lane and Aubrey E. Scott Jr., to partners, and the firm was renamed Stuck, Frier, Lane & Scott."Stuck, Elmer Axtell" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 544. In the 1960s the firm was responsible for a major expansion of the Arkansas State University campus.Arkansas State College Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2024) In 1971 the firm was renamed Stuck Frier Lane Scott Beisner to include Dewaine Beisner. About this time a second office was opened in Little Rock, under Frier's management. Stuck was head of the firm until his death.J. Mason Toms, "Elmer Axtell Stuck (1900–1978)," Encyclopedia of Arkansas, June 16, 2023. Accessed August 8, 2024.

Stuck was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and for many years sat on the State Board of Architects.

Personal life Stuck was married in 1922 to Ruth Jane Diamant and had three children. He died July 11, 1978 in Jonesboro at the age of 78.

Legacy At least four buildings designed by Stuck and his partners have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts. During his lifetime, the firm was the leader in architectural practice in the Arkansas Delta.

After Stuck's death, his firm was continued under the leadership of his partners. In 1983 the firm was renamed The Stuck Associates."Frier, Sid" in Who Was Who in America 9 (Wilmette: Marquis Who's Who, 1989): 127. Frier died in 1985 and Scott retired in 1991."Aubrey E. Scott Jr.," Emerson Funeral Home, no date. Accessed August 8, 2024. In 1996 and 2004 the firm was led by Beisner in Jonesboro and by Gene Castin in Little Rock. By the latter year, the firm had been renamed Stuck Associates Architects.ProFile 1996: The Sourcebook of U.S. Architectural Design Firms, 11th ed. (Atlanta: Construction Market Data, 1996): 68.ProFile 2004: The Architects Sourcebook, 19th ed. (Norcross: Reed Construction Data, 2004): 85 and 86. The firm went out of business in 2019.

Architectural works Elmer A. Stuck, 1926–1928 and 1931–1949 1934 – Craighead County Courthouse, 511 Main St, Jonesboro, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 229. 1936 – Community Center No. 1, 1212 S Church St, Jonesboro, ArkansasCommunity Center No. 1 NRHP Registration Form (2009)

Almand & Stuck, 1928–1931 1930 – Medical Arts Building, 236 Central Ave, Hot Springs, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 165.

Elmer A. Stuck & Associates, 1949–1961 1958 – Jonesboro City Hall (former), 314 W Washington Ave, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1958 – St. Michael Catholic Church, 411 N. Missouri St, West Memphis, Arkansas 1960 – Temple Israel, 203 W Oak Ave, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1961 – Jacob Trieber Federal Building, United States Post Office, and United States Court House, 617 Walnut St, Helena, ArkansasFederal Building-United States Post Office and Court House NRHP Registration Form (2015)

Stuck, Frier, Lane & Scott, 1961–1971 1962 – Nettleton Church of Christ, 3521 East Highland Dr, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1962 – University Hall, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1963 – Arkansas Hall, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1963 – Dean B. Ellis Library, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 231-232. 1964 – Craighead County Library, 315 W Oak Ave, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1964 – Carl R. Reng Student Union, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, ArkansasContract (January, 1967): 168. 1965 – Administration Building, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1966 – Kays Hall, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1966 – St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2201 South Culberhouse St, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1967 – Fine Arts Center, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1967 – Harrisburg Municipal Building, 202 N East St, Harrisburg, ArkansasHarrisburg Commercial Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2009) 1967 – Sharp County Courthouse, 718 Ash Flat Dr, Ash Flat, ArkansasJohn Deacon, "Sharp County," American Courthouses, no date. Accessed August 9, 2024. 1967 – Twin Towers, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas 1968 – St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 1415 Harb St, Corning, Arkansas 1969 – Cross County Courthouse, 705 Union Ave, Wynne, ArkansasJohn Deacon, "Cross County," American Courthouses, no date. Accessed August 9, 2024. 1969 – Terminal, Jonesboro Municipal Airport, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Stuck Frier Lane Scott Beisner, 1971–1983 1976 – United Federal Savings and Loan Association building, 515 W Washington Ave, Jonesboro, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 229-230. 1982 – Mid-America Science Museum, 500 Mid America Blvd, Hot Springs, ArkansasMiriam F. Stimpson, A Field Guide to Landmarks of Modern Architecture in the United States (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1985): 19. 1984 – John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, 4300 W 7th St, Little Rock, ArkansasWalter McQuade, Architecture in the Real World: The Work of HOK (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1984): 204.

Stuck Associates, from 1983 1993 – Irby Hall, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas 2006 – Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, 117 N Main St, Tyronza, Arkansas

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