HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2019-011 AAC staff reportPage 1 of 21
DATE: August 12, 2019
APPLICANT: Laine Harber, Arkansas Arts Center
ADDRESS: 501 E 9th Street
FILE NUMBER: HDC2019-011
COA REQUEST: Renovation with expansions and removals to existing footprint
PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION:
The subject property is located at 501 E 9th Street. The
property’s legal description is “Lots A Through F, E.O.
Bagley's Subdivision of Lots Subdivision, Little Rock and
Lot 5 , Block 154, Original City of Little Rock, and Lot 6,
and a 60' Street South of and adjacent to Block 154,
Original City of Little Rock and Lots 1 Through 3, Block
155, Original City of Little Rock, and Lots 1 Through 6,
Block 153, Original City of Little Rock and that part of the
NW 1/4 of Section 11, Township 1 North, Range 11
West, lying East of the Quapaw Line, West of McAlmont
Street, and North of East 13th Street, in The City of Little
Rock and that Part of The SW 1/2 of Section 2, Township
1 North, Range 12 West, Lying South of East 9th Street,
West of McAlmont Street, and East of the Quapaw Line,
in the City of Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas”
The original building of the Arkansas Arts Center was
built in 1937. The 2006 survey form states: “Original building was constructed as an Art Center.
Over the years, modifications and additions have been made with a major modification
completed in 2004.” There have been seven additions to the original building. See graphic on
page 11 of this report. It is considered a "Non-Contributing Structure" to the MacArthur Park
Historic District.
This COA will review a renovation with additions and subtractions to existing footprint. The
application form states: “The proposed Project is a renovation and 28,000 SF addition to the
existing Arkansas Arts Center located within MacArthur Park. The Project includes significant
re-work of the primary public entries and re-organization of existing program components. The
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
723 West Markham Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax:(501) 399-3435
www.littlerock.gov
STAFF REPORT
ITEM NO. One.
Location of Project
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28,000 SF of growth is accommodated mostly through the expansion of the second floor at the
northwest corner of the site into existing space that is currently double height gallery and lobby.
The proposed site modifications lessen the hardscape impact to the park by reducing overall
paving surface, incorporating eco-friendly storm management strategies, adding over 250 new
trees to the park through an extensive Parking Forest, and creating new civic landscape
environments that connect the Arts Center to the surrounding Park and Community. At the new
City Entry plaza, the original 1937 Historical Facade will be uncovered and restored as the
primary public entry to the Center.”
This application does not include any signage. It will be reviewed in a future COA.
This application has also been reviewed by the Parks Commission in their July 10, 2019
meeting. Parks Commission is there to advise, not direct. There were some comments along
the lines of how the Arts Center improvements will be a sharp contrast to the rest of the park.
Aside from those, all appreciated the proposed plans.
To the right is an early graphic
to describe the building that will
be referenced in the following
report. North is to the upper
right of the sketch. The north
entry is called the “City Entry”
while the south entry is called
the “Park Entry”. The existing
west entry with the large
fountain will become the loading
dock.
The organic sculptural roof that
connects the City and Park
Entries is referred to as the
Blossom. It divides and
organizes the building on a
north south axis.
The “Cultural Living Room” is located over the City Entry. The Henry Moore Standing Knife
Edge sculpture will be located between the Cultural Living Room and the 1937 Building.
PREVIOUS ACTIONS ON THIS SITE:
On April 14, 2014, a COA was approved for a banner on the northwest portion of the building
facing Ninth Street.
On July 14, 2008, a COA was approved for a sign at 9th and Commerce and a screen wall
around new air conditioning units visible from Commerce Street.
On May 7, 1998, a COA was approved with conditions for a 31,500 sf addition to the building
complex.
On March 17, 1989, a COA was approved additions and modifications to the building.
Schematic of building
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Partial existing north elevation
Partial existing west elevation
Partial existing south elevation
Contributing and Non-contributing map. Blue
are contributing, red are non-contributing and
green are national Historic Landmarks.
SUMMARY OF PRE-APPLICATION HEARING
The applicant attended the May 24, 2019 pre application hearing with the Design Review
Committee. The comments from the commissioners are summarized as follows:
Siting – Buildings are existing and new additions conform to guidelines with changes primarily to
the south.
Height – New additions do not extend above existing 2000 addition height.
Proportion – General improvements are more cohesive are generally incompliance with
guidelines.
Rhythm - General improvements are generally incompliance with guidelines with new design
that is less chaotic and an improvement.
Scale – Relatively little change from before.
Massing – There is a net gain of mass, but should not be detrimental or obstructive. Parking
grove on west should minimize bulk.
Entrance Areas – Exposing original entry is a plus, both entries matching unifies building more.
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Wall areas – Wall areas are increased but unification of material, solid and void is much
improved.
Roof areas – no comments.
Façade – no comments.
Detailing – no comments.
PROPOSAL AND WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION BASED OFF OF INTENT
AND GUIDELINES:
Below is a summary of the application based on the eleven design factors as stated in Sec 23-
120 (d).
SITING
The building is the largest of three buildings located in the approximately forty-acre MacArthur
Park. It sits in the northwest corner of the park near the intersection of Ninth and Commerce
Streets. The land is zoned Park and Recreation (PR) which does not list required setbacks
within the zoning category. The closest building is the Arsenal building which is located to the
east. The siting of the building with the proposed additions and removals is similar to the
existing. The setbacks from Commerce Street on the west side of the building has increased (a
portion of the northwest corner of the building will be removed). It currently has approximately a
40’ setback and with the removals and additions, it will have a 75’ setback, an increase of 35’.
The parking area that will be placed between the building and Ninth Street will feature extensive
tree planting (one tree for every two spaces) that will assist in screening the building and make
the setback appear larger.
The setback from Ninth Street will also increase approximately 8’ with the removal of the
northwest corner of the building. The setback is in the range of 200 feet at that point, so the
increase may not be perceived. The setback for the eastern façade of the building does not
change. The southern façade does have an addition that will serve as one of the main
entrances to the building. That addition will add an additional 104 feet to the building but will not
be perceived from Pulaski County Way.
HEIGHT
The height of the building changes but does not exceed what is already there. Some of the
spaces that were a tall single story will become two stories. On the north façade, the height of
the galley space that is currently in the northwest corner of the building is approximately 45’ tall
at its highest. Currently, there are three levels at 18’, 29’ and 45’. Portions of that mass that
are shorter will be raised to 45’ high. With the additional height, that area will become two floors
instead of being a tall single height floor as it is now. The Cultural Living Room at the north
entrance will be slightly taller than the 45 feet described above. As a note, the original 1937
building was 37 feet tall.
The southern façade will still be dominated by the Children’s Theater flyway mass at 53 feet tall.
The new entrance to the building will be in the range of 24-26 feet tall and be broken into
multiple petals of the Blossom. The museum school area that is in the southwest corner of the
building will remain at the same height at about 12’.
On the west side, a one-story mass and a screened mechanical area will be removed on the
extreme northwest corner. Two additions that are one-story will be added on the west façade,
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one for a mechanical area and another for the ceramics kiln. These additions will be about 12’
tall. Portions of the northwest corner will be raised to the 45’ height as explained earlier.
The existing east façade does not change and remains about 20’ tall.
PROPORTION
The existing proportion of the building is mostly horizontal with taller elements, namely the
children’s theater flyway and the northwest gallery. The proposed proportion will still be
horizontal but with the additional mass at the City and Park Entries, it may appear to be more
uniform in height than before. This building, when compared to others in the area of influence, is
far wider than any others. It is shorter than four structures: Quapaw, Parkview and Cumberland
Towers, and the Bowen Law School at thirteen, nine, eleven, and five floors respectively.
RHYTHM
On Rhythm, rectangular windows are vertical in nature and the ganged windows and doors also
read as ganged individual vertical units. The City and Park Entries along with the clearstory
windows in the Blossom roof create a rhythm of glazed openings.
SCALE
With the proposed plan, the overall scale will change slightly The building has dwarfed the
neighboring single family and apartments in the area of influence and the neighborhood in terms
of footprint in the past and will continue to do so. The height is shorter than a few structures but
taller than most in the district. Three of the four that are taller are within the area of influence.
MASSING
A breakdown supplied by the architects describes the changes to each floor in terms of square
footage.
Basement pit below stage – existing 1,600 sf, proposed 1,600 sf. No change.
Lower Level 1 South – existing 37,600 sf, proposed 54,800 sf. This includes the addition of the
Park Restaurant, the Park Entry areas, and the ceramics kiln area.
Upper Level 1 North – 49,000 sf, proposed 41,600 sf. This includes the removal of portions of
the north façade.
Level 2 – existing 7,500 sf, proposed 35,000 sf. This includes the taking of two story height
gallery spaces and making them into two floors, the raising of the roof on some portions, and
adding the Cultural living Room at the City Entry.
Starting at the northeast corner of the building and describing the additions and removals, they
are as follows:
On the north façade where the original 1937 entry will be exposed, 7650 sf will be removed on
the first floor and 2,800 on the second floor (double height space). On the north façade, 2000 sf
will be added with the Cultural Living Room and service areas.
On the west façade, 2080 sf will be removed from the extreme northwest corner and 1125 will
be removed from the southern portion of the museum school on the first floor and 1800 sf of
double height space will be removed on the northwest corner. Two one story additions of 2100
sf for a mechanical yard and 2800 sf for the ceramics kiln will be added.
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On the south façade, 8,500 sf will be added in the new entry area and restaurant along almost
the entirety of the façade with the bulk in the center for the entry and restaurant.
On the east façade, a detached storage building of approximately 1,000 sf will be demolished
and a dumpster enclosure of 286 sf will be built. The enclosure will be 8 feet tall.
ENTRANCE AREA
There are multiple entrances to the building. The two public entrances will be located at the
north and south that are called the City Entry and the Park Entry, respectively. The City Entry
will utilize the original 1937 building’s entrance that will be exposed for the first time since 1981
and will again face Ninth Street with a surrounding courtyard plaza area. At the City Entry, the
three original 1937 doors will be operational. One additional set of public entry doors will be
located directly to the west under the canopy of the Blossom. Building columns will punctuate
the plaza space to support the Cultural Living Room and the Blossom. The plaza will feature
the new home of the Henry Moore Standing Knife Edge sculpture. The Cultural Living room,
located on the second floor, will form the fourth wall of the courtyard while providing a covered
area between the car drop off and the entry doors. The plaza will be open air.
The southern Park Entry will also feature the Blossom architectural motif and the entry doors will
face southwest to the parking area and southeast to the park. This entry area will be double
height space. The area around the southern entry is labeled South Plaza on the plans.
Both the north and south plazas feature
precast concrete seatwalls on each side of the
entry. The City Entry will feature one floating
in the plaza area. See the graphic on the
previous page. The pavers in the north plaza
area will be limestone (12” x 24” Limestone
unit pavers in a Caramel Crème Limestone
color). Around the base of the Standing Knife
Edge, the limestone pavers will be cut into
4x4” pavers and woven into the pattern of the
larger pavers. Exposed aggregate sidewalks
First floor additions and subtractions.
Subtractions in orange and additions in blue.
Additions of service areas in red.
Second floor additions and subtractions.
Subtractions in orange and additions in blue.
Freestanding seatwall details at City Entry
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will border the crescent drive on the south side.
At the Park Entry to the south, the paving will be concrete for sidewalks and entry areas. Brick
will be used to tie into existing brick walks. Seatwalls will define the sidewalks leading away
from the entry. A ha-ha wall will transition from the entry to the park area to the southeast.
According to Wikipedia, a ha-ha wall is defined as:
A ha-ha (French: hâ-hâ or saut de loup) is a recessed landscape design element that
creates a vertical barrier while preserving an uninterrupted view of the landscape
beyond.
The design includes a turfed incline which slopes downward to a sharply vertical face
(typically a masonry retaining wall). Ha-has are used in landscape design to prevent
access to a garden, for example by grazing livestock, without obstructing views. In
security design, the element is used to deter vehicular access to a site while
minimizing visual obstruction.
The name "ha-ha" is thought to have stemmed from the exclamations of surprise by
those coming across them, as the walls were intentionally designed to be invisible.
The crescent drive will revert to east bound traffic and there will be an increase of the width of
the drive to allow for a passenger drop off space under the canopy of the Blossom. The drive
will be asphalt to match the existing drive.
One of the staff entry areas will be on the west façade at the loading dock area. The other entry
will be on the east side by the dumpster area. Staff entry areas are intentionally underplayed.
There will be exterior steps at the western loading dock and the east loading dock. in both those
locations the steps are cast in place concrete and the railings are painted steel.
WALL AREAS
The primary surface of the wall areas is brick. The majority of the brick that is present will be
retained. There will be additional brick added to raise the height of the walls in some locations,
primarily on the northwest corner of the building. New brick will match in texture and color as
much as possible. All brick will be stained with a penetrating to be a consistent gray color
throughout after staining. This stain will homogenize the variety of existing colors within the
current façade. Areas over the windows and openings on the west façade at the art school will
receive a different tone for those panels but all colors will be in a consistent tonal family. This
can be seen on the west façade as shown on page 16 of this report.
Seatwall detail at building
Seatwall details at both entries
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The City and Park Entries feature walls of glass and public doors will be full glass. Some wall
surfaces that are above roofs are labeled as INSUL 7 which will be stucco or stucco substitute.
On the west façade, there will be horizontal flat ribbed metal panels to vent the mechanical
room. On the west side, they are approximately 9’ tall by 3’ wide.
There is a small outbuilding located
between the Arts Center and the MacArthur
Museum of Arkansas Military History. It
was being used for the Military museum
storage but owned by the Art Center. It is
being demolished and a dumpster is being
built in that location.
On the new additions, the finish brick goes
to the ground. No foundation is showing.
Being a museum, windows are less in
number than for other uses such as
residential and commercial uses. Starting
at the City Entry at the original 1937
entrance, the windows and doors are
described as follows:
in the City Entry courtyard, there are the three sets of original 1937 entry glass doors with
transoms above. There is one vertical window on each side for the doors. To the right and left
of the original façade, there are entry doors and full height windows and transoms. The entirety
of the Cultural Living Room is glazing with continuous windows reaching roughly 25’ in height
from the second floor level. On the North elevation, there is a bank of six windows on the
northwest corner of the building measuring in total about 13’ high x 34’ wide.
On the west façade, windows are two sizes - 6’ high x 3’ wide and 6’ high x 4’ wide. Also on the
west elevation, entering into the Art yard, there are three sets of one door and two windows
ganged together that measure a total of 9’ high and approximately 9’ wide.
On the south elevation, at the Park Entry, the restaurant space and entry spaces have
continuous glazing from the ground to about 25’ in height. East of the restaurant/ Park entry,
there is a service door with transom and side light measuring about 10’ high x 6’ wide.
On the east elevation, there are three 6’x4’ windows.
in the administration area in the northeast corner of the building, there are eight 6’x4’ vertical
windows.
There are multiple clearstory windows in the Blossom roof system of var ying sizes and shapes
on the south façade and in the center of the building.
Doors at public entries will be all glass pivot doors or custom steel framed glass doors.
Secondary entrances will be pre-finished aluminum storefront or aluminum curtain wall.
Services doors will be flush hollow metal with hollow metal frames.
Storage building in the center of the photograph to be
demolished and replaced with dumpster enclosure.
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Wall mounted
sconces will be
installed on the
building above
doors and on wall
surfaces. These
are LED in two
sizes, 8 1/2’x17”
and 5”x5”. Both
are in textured dark
bronze color.
Parking lot and
pathway lighting
will be on poles
with varying number of fixtures per pole from one to six. The pole heights vary from 12-22’ tall.
See graphic on pages 19 and 20 of this report.
No additional gutters are being installed on the building. On the existing north and east walls
there are existing thru-wall scuppers and downspouts which will remain. These are square
painted aluminum, bronze color. There will be two new thru wall scuppers and downspouts
added at the south service kitchen addition. These will match the existing in design and color.
ROOF AREA
The Mansard roof on the south side will be partially removed to allow for new construction. One
section of mansard roof on the south side of the theater will partially remain but will not be
visible once new construction is in place.
The folded plate Blossom roof will be a PVC Membrane roofing system w/ applied battens.
Color will be white. The typical new roofing at all other flat roofs with parapets will be a
thermoplastic olefin (TPO) membrane roof. Color will be white. New silicone roof coating system
to be applied to existing membrane roof systems to remain. Color will be white.
There will be various exhaust vents on the roof but none are anticipated to be of significant size
or highly visible.
FAÇADE
The facades of the building will be primarily brick with large expanses of windows at the City
and Park Entries. Being a museum, windows are less in number than for other uses such as
residential and commercial uses. The texture of brick will blend with other brick structures in the
area of influence and the neighborhood. Precast concrete coping will be used on the facades
which are similar to other precast used in the neighborhood. Precast concrete has replaced the
historical stone lintels and coping.
DETAILING
All exterior ground level mechanical and electrical equipment will be located within the
mechanical enclosure on the northwest side of the site. Two other mechanical units will be roof
mounted on the east side of the building.
Wall mounted sconces (LIL LED)
Wall mounted sconces (LIL LED)
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SITE DESIGN:
LANDSCAPE FEATURES
The entry areas to the building will feature
seatwalls that act as retaining walls for the
elevated planting beds. The area to the
southeast of the restaurant will have an 18-
20” tall ha-ha wall. This ha-ha wall will act as
a retaining wall to bring the grade of the sod
up to the Park Entry plaza area.
The West Art Yard will be enclosed with a six
foot chain link fence and screened by an
evergreen hedge.
The Standing Red sculpture is proposed to be
moved to the southeast in the lawn area north of the new sculpture “Blooming” donated by the
South Korean government.
LIGHTING
A combination of pole lights, up lights and path lights will be used in lighting the area. see
graphics starting on pages 19 and 20 of this report.
PARKING AREAS DRIVEWAYS CURB CUTS AND PAVING
The parking lot will feature a combination of chipseal asphalt and exposed aggregate. Bands of
exposed aggregate concrete will run perpendicular to the aisles in the parking lot between the
tree wells. The existing driveways along Commerce Street will remain in the same locations
and widths.
The existing dock on the east side of the building will remain and its driveway will not be
changed.
MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND SERVICE AREAS
All exterior ground level mechanical and electrical equipment will be located within the
Mechanical enclosure on the North West side of the site.
There is a small outbuilding located between the Arts Center and the MacArthur Museum of
Arkansas Military History. It is being demolished and a dumpster is being built in that location.
The height of the enclosure is 8’ tall and constructed out of stained brick veneer (which will
match the building) over concrete block backup material. Entry gates are metal vertical pickets
w/ solid metal sheet panel. This will serve the current dumpsters for both the military museum
and the Arkansas Arts Center.
SIGNS
No building signage or site signage is being submitted for review at this time. Once AAC has
concluded their signage and branding studies a full signage package will be submitted to
Historic District Commission for full approval under a separate application.
Art yard gate
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SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS
The Guidelines on page 27-29
speak to additions to historic
structures. The Arkansas Arts
Center does have a historic
core, but that 1937 building has
been added onto seven
different times in its history
(1963, 1971, 1981, 1982, 1989,
2000, and 2001) and this
application proposes yet
another addition and removal of
space. The building is listed as
a Non-Contributing resource to
the district because of the
numerous additions to the
building and the fact that the
additions have dwarfed and
hidden the original structure. See the graphic above. The texts in the guidelines pertain to this
application in varying degrees.
On page 27, the Guidelines state that some alterations may have achieved historic status
because of their age and those should be recognized and respected. More recent additions,
which are not historic, may be removed or altered within the COA process. The question for the
Commission is if the 1963 southern addition and entrance which has barely passed the fifty-year
typical age for inclusion, is an exemplary example of that period of architecture and should be
preserved.
Also starting on page 27, it states that new alterations should respect the original design
character of the building. On page 28, it states that the additions should be of a compatible
design, should not remove extensive amounts of historic materials and should not hinder the
ability to interpret the design character of the structure’s historic period. This existing design
character is a jumble of styles and the original structure is encased in the additions.
The proposal removes additions to the north side of the building which will expose the 1937
original entrance and once again utilize it as the City Entry to the building. The 1937 façade will
be within a courtyard area and will somewhat be covered with the support columns and the
“Cultural Living Room’ on the second floor located to the north. While this entry is exposed
again, the bulk of the 1937 building is still embedded in the superstructure of the building. The
Secretary of the interior Standards for Rehabilitation state:
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy
historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated
from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural
features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such
a manner that if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic
property and its environment would be unimpaired.
Additions to the building
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Concerning standard number 9, the proposed plan actually removes non-historic materials and
exposes the historic entry into the building. All of the additions from 1963 through the proposed
addition are differentiated from the original 1937 building. Concerning standard number 10, this
standard is a moot point with the seven, soon to be eight, auditions to the building.
The eleven design factors are listed in Sec 23-120 (d). The Commission reviews applications
based on these factors. On factor number one, Siting, the building has been modified to sit
farther away from Commerce Street and the residential uses on that side. On height, the
building is not getting appreciably taller than it is now. Three other buildings in the area of
influence are taller than it. On Proportion, the buildings height to width ratio is changing with the
height increase on the southern portion of the building. On Rhythm, rectangular windows are
vertical in nature and the ganged windows and doors also read as ganged individual vertical
units. The City and Park Entries along with the clearstory windows in the Blossom roof create a
rhythm of glazed openings. On Scale and Massing, see paragraph below. On Entrance areas,
they are pronounced and defined. For Wall Areas, there are windows, doors, and louvers on
each façade. There are fewer windows than other structures in the district because of the nature
of protecting the artwork and the location of service areas in the design. The Roof Area is
primarily flat with the Blossom roof that has similarities with the folded roof on the parking
structure at Parkview Towers. Concerning Facades, the design has attempted to unify the
entirety of the building thorough color and utilizing materials that are already on the site.
Detailing will be through the use of cast concrete coping and posts.
This Arkansas Arts Center building is the largest building in the district in footprint and total
square footage. Runners up are the Bowen School of Law at approximately 175,000 sf,
Quapaw Towers at approximately 167,000 sf., Cumberland Towers, and Parkview Tower
(Teachers Retirement) both at 100,000 sf. For contrast, the Arsenal building, located directly to
the east, has a footprint of 5100 sf and a total square footage of 15,000. in terms of footprint,
the proposed Art Center has a footprint of 81,000 sf, the Bowen School of Law with 72,000 and
Parkview Towers at 24,000 with a large area being the carport parking structure. Quapaw
Tower and Cumberland Tower are 15,000 and 9,600 respectively. All numbers are rounded
and were generated from the Tax Assessors site, PaGIS, the application, or correspondence
with the applicant.
City code. Sec 23-120 (f), states;
“Generally, new construction shall be judged on its ability to blend with the existing
neighborhood and area of influence. The commission shall consider, but not be
limited to the factors listed for alterations in paragraph [subsection] (d).”
Of the eleven design factors that the Commission is required to review applications against, the
building will never “blend” with the existing neighborhood and the area of influence as required
in Sec 23-120 (f) for the factors of massing, scale, and wall areas. This is because of the
overall size of the building and the lack of windows in large expanses of the wall areas where
galleries, storage, and service areas are located. in the state statute 14-172-209 (b)(3), it
states:
“The commission shall determine whether the proposed construction, reconstruction,
alteration, restoration, moving, or demolition of buildings, structures, or appurtenant
fixtures involved will be appropriate to the preservation of the historic district for the
purposes of this subchapter, or whether, notwithstanding that it may be inappropriate,
owing to conditions especially affecting the structure involved, but not affecting the
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historic district generally, failure to issue a certificate of appropriateness will involve a
substantial hardship, financial or otherwise, to the applicant, and whether the certificate
may be issued without substantial detriment to the public welfare and without substantial
derogation from the intent and purpose of this subchapter.”
It is Staff’s opinion that it would be inconceivable for the application to meet the standards for
the three factors listed above to blend into the existing neighborhood and the area of influence
considering the surrounding buildings in the district. Staff also recognizes that a vibrant
Arkansas Arts Center is positive to the public welfare of the historic district and the city. The
renovations, additions and removals to the building should not affect the historic district
generally as reviewed earlier in this report. The applicant has exhibited every effort to address
the other eight design factors as reviewed earlier in this document.
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS AND REACTION: At the time of distribution, there were no
comments regarding this application.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval with the following conditions:
1. Obtaining a building permit.
COMMISSION ACTION: August 12, 2019
With 2 members recusing (Jones and Frederick) and 2 absent (McSwain and Pekar) there was
not a quorum to hear the item.
The Historic District Commission adjourned the hearing until August 13, 2019 at 2:00 pursuant
to the Bylaws Article IV. C. Adjourned Meetings.
COMMISSION ACTION: August 13, 2019
After a brief recess, Brian Minyard made a brief presentation to the Commission based on the
staff report and the eleven design factors. He noted emails from Carolyn Newbern and Robin
Loucks.
Laine Harber, Interim Executive Director of the Arkansas Arts Center, spoke that this is a
monumental public/private project for the city. It is exciting and the new design makes the
building become a part of the park.
Juliana Wolf, Partner at Studio Gang, joined the meeting digitally through the websit e Go To
Meeting. She presented the PowerPoint slide show presentation.
Chair Ted Holder stated that he was overwhelmed with the presentation. He stated that it was
the biggest building in the district and will not and cannot look like the old houses in the district.
He continued that Ms. Wolf did a great job in presenting what was there and what would
change. The new plan unifies the building and it was good that they were keeping the older
trees but he may not agree about the deciduous trees.
Commissioner Frances McSwain is happy to see the 1937 entrance being reused and she
remembers playing on the steps as a child. She noted it was keeping the best of the 1960s
plan. She continued it was good to see how much time they spent on landscaping. She asked
if the budget were cut, will the landscaping be cut if the money does not come in. Mr. Harber
said that the fundraising has gone well and they are on track to make their goal. They are
looking to build the endowment. He said they anticipate full completion.
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Patricia Blick, Quapaw Quarter Association, said that the Quapaw Quarter Association was
following the progress of the project and that reopening the 1937 entrance was wonderful. She
noted Carolyn Newbern’s email about the interface with the Arsenal building and anticipates a
positive influence on the museum next door.
Chair Holder commented on the email from Ms. Newbern about the surface of the walkways
and mobility for some citizens. He also mentioned the modern style lights with LED fixt ures.
Cindy Pruitt, Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, stated the exposed aggregate concrete will be a
small aggregate and will be ADA compliant. It should not be a trip hazard. On the lights, they
are dark sky compliant. The building is looking towards LEED Silver status and the fixtures
have clean lines and try not to draw attention to themselves. They will not be a historic fixture
and they are not trying to emulate one.
Ms. Wolfe stated they are trying to be as dark as possible with the exterior lighting, to be safe
but not have too much light. Mr. Page Wilson asked what color the light was. Ms. Pruitt stated
it was not blue but could not specify what temperature the light was. Mr. Wilson continued on a
comment on a LID (Low impact development) strategy in the park and the presence of bats in
the area. He stated that there had been mistakes made in other lighting in the city. He asked if
the concrete was pervious. Ms. Pruitt stated that is was not. The City’s Parks and Recreation
Department specifically required that enough surface water be directed to the pond to keep the
pond full. She did state that the water would be filtered before it went into the pond.
Commissioner McSwain asked for clarification about the paths around the parade grounds. Ms.
Pruitt stated that they would not be changed. Commissioner McSwain stated that she did not
believe any archeological studies had been completed on the site and encouraged them to
notify the state if they found anything. Stephan McAteer (MacArthur Museum of Arkansas
Military History) stated that the parade grounds and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military
History had an exterior conservation easement on them.
Vice Chair Jeremiah Russell made a motion to approve the item as presented. Commissioner
Robert Hodge seconded and the motion passed with 4 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent (Pekar) and
2 recusals (Frederick and Jones).
Page 15 of 21
Application
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Portion of North Elevation with restored 1937 Entry
Portion of North Elevation western portion
Portion of West Elevation northern portion
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Portion of West Elevation southern portion
Portion of South Elevation western portion
Portion of East Elevation southern portion
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Portion of East Elevation central portion with dock area
Portion of North Elevation eastern portion
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Plan and materials for City Entry (north)
Plan and materials for City Entry (south)
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Light standard for parking lots and general illumination
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Light standard for parking lots and general illumination