The Firehouse Hostel & Museum, the first-of-its kind facility in Arkansas, is expected to open this year after a decade of planning and some setbacks. Hostels don't have all the bells and whistles of a hotel nor the rates, and most of those who frequent hostels prefer it that way.
The 1917 Craftsman-style building at 1201 S. Commerce St. was a fire station from the time it was built in 1917 until the late 1950s, when the operation moved to Ninth Street. Hostelling Arkansas Inc. board members and hands-on laborers John R. Fordyce and Anncha Briggs traveled separately to Europe over the years and found hostels to be a friendly gathering place where travelers could save on lodging and share knowledge from their trips.
"Many who have stayed in a hostel think this, it's a great way to travel if you're going for what's to be seen in that area, rather than look for the five-star hotel," said Fordyce, a retired Merril Lynch adviser.
The nonprofit group working to develop the hostel signed an agreement with Little Rock in 2006, though the project didn't get underway until years later. Once repairs are complete, the 4,663-square-foot building at MacArthur Park can bunk up to 34 people in separate men's and women's quarters upstairs and have room for socializing, cooking and laundry downstairs -- known as common areas. It will also have a private room that's handicapped accessible.
The only other hostel in the state is in Gilbert, but the Firehouse Hostel & Museum will have an official designation as such when it joins the worldwide network of Hostelling International. The organization offers more than 4,000 hostels in more than 80 countries. All member facilities must meet quality and safety standards at affordable prices.
"They're very excited about what we're doing and have given us lots of direction," Fordyce said of the international organization.
Hostelling International will promote the Little Rock hostel and feature it on its website and in hand-outs and other materials, said Dawn Boudreaux, regional engagement manager for the South Central region of the United States for Hostelling International.
"They'll be part of the family," Boudreaux said. "That way people will know about them and be able to plan their trips accordingly." She said she's enthusiastic about the role of the hostel in travel, no matter the destination. "It's all about community," she said.
The shared spaces within a hostel -- the kitchen, dining room, living room -- are where the magic happens.
"You meet people from all over the world," she said. "It's all about cultural diversity and appreciation. We really believe in world peace through travel."
The Firehouse Hostel & Museum does not own the building -- the city's Parks Department does -- though volunteers such as Fordyce, Briggs and others have years of sweat equity in the project. In addition to donations big and small, almost everyone involved has invested personally in the project, though it's not a requirement, said Fordyce.
There have been obstacles over the years, like some structural problems and damage from a fire that were previously undiscovered. Also, the air conditioning units were stolen and had to be replaced. Nearly $500,000 has been poured into the hostel so far, though the group has been able to raise all but about $25,000 necessary for the finishing touches.
Firefighters are the group's biggest proponent.
When retired Little Rock Fire Capt. Johnny Reep found out there was interest in turning the old No. 2 Firehouse into a hostel, he planned a trip for the board to visit a firefighters' museum in Memphis.
"Because of that trip, we called our new venture the Firehouse Hostel & Museum," said Gary Hart, another board member. "We came back with a great appreciation of the history of firefighting and the sacrifices made from Johnny. From that trip, we also made the promise to be debt free when we opened."
Reep is largely responsible for Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial on the mall of the state Capitol, which was dedicated in March.
For the hostel, Reep and others are providing memorabilia that will be on display throughout the hostel -- everything from old black-and-white photos to a fire engine "if we can ever figure out where to put it," Forsythe said.
The exhibition is expected to include a brass fire pole, nearly 50 sprinkler heads, tools, ladders, fire hooks, old nozzles and a collection of toys pertaining to firefighting. Items will be displayed on the firehouse's stairwells, walls and ceilings.
One way the group is raising money to finish the project is through the sale of named bricks for both inside and outside the hostel, $150 and $100 respectively, as well as the purchase of stackable beds that came to the hostel through a third party who bought them from a dorm at the University of Arkansas. The beds, complete with linens, are selling for $1,000 each with nearly half of them sold.
On Jan. 9, the still-unfinished Firehouse Hostel & Museum will be featured as the first stop on the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's 2015 Sandwiching in History tour. On the same day, the hostel will host a public potluck to show off the digs and "showing that hopefully that 2015 will be the year we will open," Briggs said.
SundayMonday Business on 01/04/2015