Military museum in Little Rock to close for 5 months for renovations

FILE PHOTO: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. - A group of children leave the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in 2017. The museum was awarded a $100,000 Historic Preservation Restoration Grant to repair and renovate the building's front and back porches. The grant was awarded by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage that annually awards grants and money to restore historic properties.
FILE PHOTO: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. - A group of children leave the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in 2017. The museum was awarded a $100,000 Historic Preservation Restoration Grant to repair and renovate the building's front and back porches. The grant was awarded by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage that annually awards grants and money to restore historic properties.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock will be closed April through August for interior renovations, officials said Thursday.

The five-month closure is part of a $1.5 million project that includes both interior and exterior upgrades for the 178-year-old structure, according to a news release from the city.

The first phase began in December, with renovations to the north and south porches, and was partially funded by a grant from the Department of Arkansas Heritage, officials said.

Interior renovations will include upgrades to the heating and cooling systems, installation of new lighting and repainting of interior gallery spaces.

Bond revenue from a 2 percent tax on lodging levied in December 2015 funded both parts of the project, according to the city.

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The museum is located in the Arsenal building in Little Rock's MacArthur Park. Its last day open will be March 31, with reopening tentatively planned for early September.

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