Damage incurred during a suspected arson fire Sunday morning will not significantly affect the cost of restoring the historic Roundtop Filling Station in Sherwood, the director of the town's historic society said Monday.
Darrell Brown, chairman of the Sherwood History and Heritage Committee, said he believes insurance will pay for most of the damage to the exterior facade of the station, which has been undergoing renovations for about two years at an estimated cost of $192,000.
"The structure is fine," Brown said. "The damage is to walls, which are stucco and concrete. Had [the fire] reached the roof, that'd be a whole other story. It wouldn't be standing at this time."
An Arkansas Historic Preservation Program tour of the building scheduled for noon Friday will go on as planned, program Director Frances McSwain said Monday in a news release. The tour is part of the program's Sandwiching in History tour series.
According to a report from the Sherwood Police Department, officers responded to a blaze at 6491 Roundtop Road, where they saw three small fires at the base of the historic building. The smell of gasoline was strong in the area, according to the report.
The former filling station, which was built in 1936 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, is set to become a new substation for the Sherwood Police Department, Brown said. He said an insurance adjuster will inspect damage today and that renovation efforts will resume as soon as possible. Brown said a tour of the building for local officials scheduled for Friday will continue as planned.
Metro on 11/04/2014