From the Executive Director

Hello, Friends!

Whew, the first quarter of 2022 went by in a flash - my apologies for the tardiness of this newsletter, but better late than never, right? In this issue, you'll read about the Arkansas Preservation Awards, National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week, educational programs, site visits, and upcoming spring events like Preservation Crustaceans and a Mid Mod Arkansas tour at Huntsville.

The newsletter's cover photo shows the Wabbaseka Methodist Church in Jefferson County. A small group of Preserve Arkansas board members and supporters traveled to the church last Saturday for a work day on the grounds of this endangered historic property - it was a worthwhile and wonderful day. I would love to expand this effort in the future, with particular emphasis on buildings that have been included on our Most Endangered Places list.

As always, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you soon.

Best Regards,
Rachel Patton
Executive Director
Arkansas Preservation Awards
Clements Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
On January 28, Preserve Arkansas hosted its annual Arkansas Preservation Awards dinner and program to honor individuals and organizations for projects focused on historic preservation, education, and advocacy throughout the state. Honorees and guests celebrated with a reception and banquet at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, followed by a program recognizing Gary W. Clements, AIA, of North Little Rock as well as 17 outstanding preservation projects. State Historian David Ware of Little Rock served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. Congrats to Gary and all of our honorees! More info and photos from the event are available here.
Gary Clements speaks after receiving his award.
Preservation Advocacy
National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2022
Preserve Arkansas coordinated meetings with Arkansas's Congressional Delegation during National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week, which took place virtually March 7-10. Our team of advocates shared preservation success stories from each of the state's Congressional Districts and encouraged Members to support an increase in appropriation for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) and enhancements to the Federal Historic Tax Credit that would add value and make the credit easier to use.

Great news - the FY22 Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed by Congress in March included more than $173 Million for the HPF, a record level of funding for historic preservation!
Advocates meet with Rep. Bruce Westerman (top photo) and Sen. John Boozman during Advocacy Week.
Pictured above, clockwise from top left: Kocourek and Son Hardware Building, Hazen; Ritz Theater, Malvern; Malvern Rosenwald School; Robinson Mercantile Building, DeValls Bluff; Castleberry Hotel, DeValls Bluff; Wabbaseka Methodist Church, Jefferson County.
Over the past few months, we've had the opportunity to visit several historic properties, including the ones pictured above. We consulted with board members of the Prairie County Historical Center on plans for the Kocourek and Son Hardware Building at Hazen, toured the Ritz Theater at Malvern with Arkansas State University leadership to see renovation progress, documented further deterioration at the Malvern Rosenwald School (included on our Most Endangered Places list), learned about Studio DRIFT's plans for the rehabilitation of historic buildings at DeValls Bluff, and organized a work day on the grounds of the Wabbaseka Methodist Church in Jefferson County (included on our Most Endangered Places list).

Would you like assistance from Preserve Arkansas staff, or do you have a preservation project to share? Contact Rachel Patton at rpatton@preservearkansas.org or 501-372-4757.
Preservation Education
Women in Preservation
The "Women in Preservation" virtual speaker series features women from a variety of backgrounds who are working to save Arkansas's historic places. Join us on April 12 at 3:30 p.m. for a program by Lori Yazwinski Santa-Rita of Fayetteville. Lori became a partner at Jennings + Santa-Rita Architects in Fayetteville in 2015. She served as the 2019 AIA Arkansas President, is a founding member of Women in Architecture Arkansas, and is currently working with the AIA National Strategic Council as the Arkansas representative. Lori enjoys being involved in various outreach initiatives using her craft to engage with others on the subjects of architecture and equity.

Click here to register for the webinar. Watch previous webinars on YouTube here. Women in Preservation is generously supported by DEMX Architecture.
Lori Yazwinski Santa-Rita, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB
National Park Service Grant Opportunities Webinar
On March 30, Preserve Arkansas partnered with the National Park Service to bring you a webinar about its historic preservation grant programs. The NPS is actively seeking more grant applications from Arkansas!

Click here to watch a recording of the program by Megan Brown, Chief of the State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division of the National Park Service. Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.
Upcoming Events
Preservation Crustaceans
Saturday, April 30
6 to 8 PM
* VIPs get early entry *
Clements & Associates, 507 Main Street, North Little Rock

Preservation Crustaceans returns to its roots as a backyard cookout serving all-you-can-eat crawfish, sausage, and the fixings. Join us for a fun evening at the 1886 Barth-Hempfling House, home of Clements & Associates since 1999, and enjoy live music from Josh Stoffer.

General Admission tickets include cold libations to wash down your spicy meal. VIP tickets also include entry at 5:00 PM, signature cocktail, and a Preservation Crustaceans t-shirt. General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $70. Preserve Arkansas members receive $10 off! Kids 10 and under are free, and kids 11-17 are $10.

Click here to purchase tickets, sponsor, or volunteer!
Mid Mod Arkansas - Huntsville
Saturday, May 21
1 PM

Join us on Saturday, May 21 to tour two buildings designed by famed Arkansas architect Fay Jones – the Orval and Alta Faubus House, built between 1965 and 1967, and the historic staff headquarters building at Camp Noark, designed in 1966-67.

A limited number of tickets will be available for this tour - watch your email and social media for the ticket link to reserve your place.
Orval and Alta Faubus House, Huntsville
40th Anniversary Celebration
Friday, September 9
Hamp Williams Building, Hot Springs
6 PM

Mark your calendars for Preserve Arkansas's 40th Anniversary Dinner Event on September 9 at the Hamp Williams Building in Hot Springs. Our theme is "People, Places, and Preservation: Building a More Relevant and Equitable Preservation Movement" with keynote speaker Bonnie McDonald, President and CEO of Landmarks Illinois. More info to come soon!
Thank you to our Partners and Sustainers!
Clements & Assoc. Architecture, Inc. | SCM Architects, P.A.
Conway County Economic Development Corp.
Charter Members
Ms. Christina Aleman and Mr. Adam Smith
Ted and Leslie Belden
Jim and Kathy Boyette
Gary and Ann Clements
John Connell, AIA
Courtney Crouch, Jr. and Brenda Crouch
Courtney and Amber Crouch
Fred Dietrich, D.D.S.
Paul Dodds
John C. Edwards
John and Marjem Gill
Dr. Ethel Goodstein and David Murphree
John and Tricia Greer
Gabe and Katherine Holmstrom
Stacy and Howard Hurst
Tommy and Christy Jameson
Scott and Amber Jones
Jill Judy and Mark Brown
Bob Kempkes and Mary Matthews
Tim and Cyndi Maddox
The Honorable Pat and Mrs. Ellen McCabe
Frances McSwain and Ray Wittenberg
Carl H. Miller, Jr.
John K. Mott, FAIA
Jack Moyer and Elise Roenigk
Justice David and Mrs. Carolyn Newbern
Mark and Cheri Nichols
David Reynolds
Emily Jordan Robertson
Aaron and Veronica Ruby
Martin and Kara Smith
David, Rayman, and Lafe Solomon
Breck and Anne Speed
Bart and Alix Stafford
Mark Stodola
Anthony Taylor and Michelle Strause
Ross Toyne
Dr. Charles and Mandy Welch
Ms. Laura Ann Winning
Darby and Amiee York
Preserve Arkansas is the only statewide nonprofit advocate for the preservation of Arkansas's historic and cultural resources. Our organization works to build stronger communities by reconnecting Arkansans to our heritage and empowering people to save and rehabilitate historic places. Support our work year-round by becoming a member!