Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas

Click here to read the descriptions and jury comments for each project.

On January 15, 2010 the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas awarded 13 individuals and organizations - including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, and the City of Texarkana - for their efforts to preserve Arkansas’s diverse historic resources, from the restoration of a plantation home in the Arkansas Delta to new construction on an historic farm.

“The Alliance’s Preservation Awards program honors outstanding achievement in projects, practices, and advocacy that foster preservation of historic and cultural sites across our state,” said executive director Vanessa McKuin. “The award winning projects tell the stories of how individuals, municipalities, business investors, architects, journalists, authors, artists, non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups, and educators are working to preserve Arkansas’s rich heritage.”

2009 Arkansas Preservation Award recipients:

·  University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Education, for achievements in professional training and public outreach developed through its Campus Historic Preservation Plan funded by a Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grant.    In addition to supporting a master planning initiative that addressed historic preservation needs and stewardship across campus and enabled the university to develop a comprehensive strategy for long-range planning and management of its historic resources, the project involved the creation of educational resources for facilities management personnel, students, campus visitors, local community and the State.  Central to the educational mission were facilities management personnel training programs, architecture student involvement, and a public outreach. A large component of the plan was completed by Ruby Architects, Inc. on North Little Rock in association with Lord Aeck and Sargent of Atlanta, GA and The Jaeger Company of Gainsville, GA. Mike Johnson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities & Karen Van Horn of the Facilities Management Planning Group accepted the award on behalf of the University of Arkansas.

· The City of Texarkana, Outstanding Service in Neighborhood Preservation, for building a solid historic preservation policy including surveying, documenting and protecting the City’s historic districts.  Through a fine combination of professionalism, advocacy, and community spirit, the city’s efforts expanded existing historic districts, created new ones, and added properties to the National Register of Historic Places, providing a model of preservation leadership in the public sector. Mayor Horace Shipp and Preservation Officer Eston McGee accepted the award on behalf of the City of Texarkana.

· Lora Rand of Arkansas Sign and Neon Company, Outstanding Work by a Craftsperson, for generously contributed and beautifully executed work on the restoration of the Hotel Riceland Coffee Shop sign.  The Riceland Hotel in Stuttgart was built between 1919 and 1923 during the declining years of a rice boom that had transformed Stuttgart’s economy.  The Hotel Riceland Coffee Shop sign still hangs on the building corner, visible from Main Street.  In 2009, to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the Wings over the Prairie Festival, Rules Chairman Marty Simpson devised a plan to relight the sign. He worked with volunteers and city officials to clean up the building and restore power.  Lora Rand of Arkansas Sign and Neon Company in Little Rock donated her company’s services to remove the sign, restore it, and re-hang it on the hotel.  On November 23rd a ceremony was held to relight the sign for the citizens of Stuttgart and celebrate the Wings over the Prairie Festival.  The sign will remain lit throughout the year to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the festival and to raise visibility and encourage investment in the hotel restoration project.

· Mr. Ken Fry, of the Van Buren Press-Argus, Preservation Reporting in the Media, for his dedication and service to the people of Van Buren and Crawford County. Van Buren native Kenneth Fry decided to make journalism his career over 40 years ago and in 1997, he became editor of the Press Argus-Courier of Crawford County.  Fry’s dedication to covering preservation issues in Van Buren with clarity and integrity have expanded his readership’s understanding and appreciation of the benefits of sustained historic preservation practices.

· The Central Arkansas Library and the Arkansas Studies Institute in Little Rock, Excellence in Preservation Through Rehabilitation and Honorable Mention: Outstanding New Construction in an Historic Setting for the Arkansas Studies Institute.  An elegant relationship between new construction and thoughtful intervention with existing fabric distinguishes this project.  Its seamless integration of salient features of the 1882 and 1914 structures that anchor the building into the function and vision of the new program that ensures their preservation offers a noteworthy model for the rehabilitation of the traditional commercial fabric of our downtowns.  Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System, Reese Rowland of Polk Stanley Wilcox and Greg Fluger of East Harding accepted the award on behalf of the project team.

· Arkansas State University/Delta Heritage Initiatives, Excellence in Preservation Through Restoration for Lakeport Plantation, Chicot County. The project is a singular example of museum-quality restoration that secures the survival of one of our state’s rarest built resources, the project also exemplifies best practices in the conduct of every aspect of the restoration from research to design, and from craftsmanship to curatorial management.  The restoration of Lakeport was led by Dr. Ruth Hawkins of ASU, Claudia Shannon of Shannon Design, and Charles Witsell and John Greer of WER Architects. Becky Witsell restored and conserved original decorative finishes.

· The Rice-Upshaw House, Project Team, Honorable Mention: Excellence in Preservation Through Restoration, for meticulous research, documentation, and painstaking attention to construction detail.  In 2006, the Rice-Upshaw House was donated by the Upshaw Family to Black River Technical College, where it became the first phase of a multi-part educational program called REACH-Restoring Early Arkansas Cultural Heritage. The Project Team includes Black River Technical College; Dr. Jan Ziegler & Ronnie Walker; Jameson Architects, P.A., Tommy Jameson; Preservation Matters, Joan Gould; KMC Construction, Keith Meredith; Barren Creek Timber Works, Eric Sammons; Missouri Stone & Chimney, Ben Hurd.

· Mr. Tom Marr, Excellence in Personal Projects, for rehabilitation of 517 West Fifth, North Little Rock, located in the Argenta Historic District.  Mr. Marr’s tenacity in acquiring his house as well as the ceaseless energy he exhibited in overseeing its restoration is nothing short of inspirational.  His efforts to preserve this cottage in North Little Rock provide a model study for any project that strives not only to save a house but also to turn that house into a home.

· Representative Robert Moore, Jr, Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Advocacy, for his dedication and belief in the Delta, Arkansas City, our state and the historic resources that tell our stories, all of which inspired his work to pass the Arkansas Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit.  The Awards Jury recognizes the incalculable debt that the state’s preservation community owes Representative Moore for his demonstrated record of stewardship and leadership. Through his work many historic building owners will be enabled to save the structures that define their communities.

· The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, University of Arkansas System, Petit Jean Mountain, Outstanding New Construction in an Historic Setting, for its transformation, through adaptive use, of the Rockefeller home and farm into a conference center.  A refreshing conceptual framework for rural preservation distinguishes the project, which explores provocative and complex relationships between built form and the land, while respectfully paying homage to the vision of place that Rockefeller created more than one-half century ago.  The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute was designed by Cromwell Architects/ Engineers.

· Eureka Springs Views: Your Journey Through Time, The Ned Shank Award for Outstanding Preservation Publication. With thoughtful juxtaposition of historic photographs and prose, this publication speaks to the historical imagination of curious tourists and serious scholars alike.  Designed by Mark Meier of tinyRocketMedia with text and research done by Glenna Booth, City Preservation Officer, the publication contains Historic photographs courtesy of the Eureka Springs Cornerstone Bank, Eureka Springs Historical Museum and Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library.

·  Marty and Elise Roenigk, Eureka Springs, The Parker Westbrook Award for significant individual achievement in historic preservation.  It is the Alliance’s only award for achievement in preservation over a period of years.  Marty and Elise Roenigk have made substantial contributions to historic preservation and heritage tourism in Eureka Springs through their efforts to rehabilitate and protect the 1886 Crescent Hotel, the 1905 Basin Park Hotel, the Eagle Mill in nearby Hindsville and a 1907 truss bridge spanning the War Eagle River, among other preservation endeavors.  Marty Roenigk was taken from us last summer, but Elise continues their substantial contributions to historic preservation and heritage tourism.

·  Five Rivers, Historic Preservation, Inc., Excellence in Heritage Preservation, for the county-wide organization’s high standard of cooperation and collaboration in service of preservation.  Five Rivers has facilitated, participated in, and lead a rich and diverse variety of programs and activities across Randolph County.  The non-profit organization’s work responds creatively to the Preserve America program’s aspiration to both protect our cultural and natural heritage and provide support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Honorees and guests celebrated at a banquet at the Little Rock Club, that featured Tom Dillard as the Keynote Speaker and Emcee Stephen Koch, host of the public radio show “Arkansongs.” The Awards program kicked off with a reception honoring Senator Blanche Lincoln for her dedication to preservation issues.  The Alliance also recognized First Lady Ginger Beebe and presented her with an honorary membership to the statewide organization.

The Historic Preservation Alliance is the only statewide non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Arkansas's architectural and cultural heritage. For more information about the Alliance, contact Vanessa at 501-372-4757, vmckuin@preservearkansas.org, or visit preservearkansas.org.