The city will demolish an 89-year-old home in the MacArthur Park neighborhood of Little Rock, after a Monday evening vote by the Historic District Commission.
Commissioners said that despite their passion for preserving historic structures, the Colonial Revival at 1019 Rock St. is too damaged and poses a danger to the neighborhood.
The asymmetrical house with a faded green facade is considered a "contributing structure" to the MacArthur Park Historic District. An area must be more than 50 percent "contributing structures" to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area was added to that register in 1977. The house was built in 1930, according to city documents.
The building has been in disrepair for at least 20 years and was damaged by fire that consumed the middle of the structure and caused most of the roof to collapse, a staff report stated. The owner, Felton Lamb Jr., died in August.
Commissioner Frances McSwain recused herself from the vote because she lives in the neighborhood, but she urged the panel to prioritize public safety over preservation. Dale Pekar also recused because he lives and owns property in the area.
"It is a danger to the neighborhood. Somebody is going to get hurt," McSwain said of the structure.
City staff members recommended that the panel wait 30 days to decide whether to demolish the structure, citing recent communications with Lamb's family.
The Quapaw Quarter Association, which advocates for preservation in the area, wrote a letter to the city opposing the demolition. Patricia Blick, the association's executive director, said she was trying to connect an attorney representing Lamb's heirs with a developer to rehabilitate the home.
"This is yet another example of a property that was poorly maintained. ... It was not secured, and someone got in and started a fire," Blick wrote in an email to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "Yes, it has sustained severe damage, but we support giving the public an opportunity to take ownership and reconstruct the house as it was historically."
The commission's vote, with five members participating, was unanimous. The demolition is estimated to cost about $7,500, not including landfill fees.
"This isn't something we do very often," said Ted Holder, the commission's chairman.
In the past 15 years, the city has demolished six primary structures in historic districts, two of which were because of fire damage. One of those six buildings was a gas station to make room for the construction of the Clayton on Scott apartments at 915 Scott St.
A stone retaining wall in front of the Rock Street home and the stone steps leading to it will be preserved.
Information for this article was contributed by Noel Oman of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Metro on 02/13/2019