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VietnameseGriffin: ‘This move saves taxpayer dollars … is a win for taxpayers, a win for economic development, a win for historic preservation and a win for efficiency’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing that his office will move to the historic Boyle Building in downtown Little Rock upon the completion of renovations in late 2024, with an option to purchase the building:
“Over the past few decades, the taxpayers have paid about $30 million in rent for the Attorney General’s office space. This move saves taxpayer dollars because the state will eventually own the building and eliminate the annual rent my office pays. In the short term, we will save on rent.
“In addition to saving tax dollars, this move will save a historic structure at the corner of Capitol and Main in downtown Little Rock, the symbolic center of our capital city. It is a win for Little Rock as it will clean up a blighted area downtown and allow for new commercial development on Main Street. As I have often said, ‘as goes our capital city, so goes our state.’
“Repurposing a historic building instead of building a new one makes more sense in terms of sustainability and efficiency. This building will serve Arkansans as the home of the Office of the Attorney General for generations to come and will reflect the history, heritage, culture, resourcefulness and vision of our state.
“This project is a win for taxpayers, a win for economic development, a win for historic preservation and a win for efficiency.”
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised General Griffin’s decision, saying: “This is great news for Arkansas taxpayers and the City of Little Rock. I applaud Attorney General Griffin’s decision to revitalize a section of Little Rock’s downtown with this cost-effective move. My administration is always working to find new opportunities to improve government efficiency and this move offers a great example for all of state government.”
The Boyle Building was built in 1909 as the “State Bank Building” and was the state’s tallest building at completion. It was designed by one of Arkansas’s premier architects, George Richard Mann, who also designed the State Capitol. Real estate tycoon Johnny Boyle purchased the building in 1916 and owned it for over 80 years. The building, located at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Main Street—the symbolic center of Little Rock—has been vacant for almost 25 years.
The twelve-floor, 91,000-square-foot building will be redeveloped by Moses Tucker Partners starting later this month. Once renovations are complete, the Office of the Attorney General will occupy the building under a twenty-year lease, with the state having the option to purchase the building after the fifth year.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 26 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin attends Immanuel Baptist Church and lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
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