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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC1995-007 Letter To John Bush From Quapaw Quarter Association 10/30/19957 Quapaw Quarter Association 1315 South Scott Street • P.O. Box 165023 • Little Rock, Arkansas 72216 a 501-371-0075 a FAX 501-374-8142 PRFffiDENT October 30, 1995 Judith Faust F`? szD NT-ELECT sco* Mosley Mr. John Bush, Chair Little Rock Historic District Commission VIMPRMDENTs c/o Department of Neighborhoods and Planning 723 West Markham Street Jim McKenzie Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 Mark Zoeller TRFasUREx Dear Mr. Bush: Clay Patty The Quapaw Quarter Association urges members of the Little Rock Historic District SECRETARY Commission not to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for the demolition Linda Sue Sander of Curran Hall, located at 615 East Capitol Avenue in the MacArthur Park Historic District. BoARD of DatwroRs As you know, Curran Hall is one of the few antebellum homes still standing in Mary Jane Balky Eric Spencer Buchanan Little Rock. It also is remarkably unaltered, having served as a single-family home Paul Esterer since its construction in 1843. Although the house is severely deteriorated, interest Donna Gay in its rehabilitation remains high. In particular, officials of the Little Rock Susan Gordon Gunter Convention and Visitors Bureau have seriously considered acquiring Curran Hall Kathi Jones for rehabilitation as the Little Rock Visitors' Center. Robin Loucks Susan Maddox Jim Metzger Unfortunately, the Convention and Visitors Bureau has been stymied by the Curran Beth Peck -Cooper Hall property's $200,000 asking price. This price makes acquisition prohibitive and Renie Rule is not supported by the sale prices of comparable properties in the area around Curran Hall. I am enclosing a copy of a letter I recently sent to one of Curran Hall's owners, Joan Tate Huot, concerning the house and the issue of property values in its ExEarnvE DmE= vicinity. Since Mrs. Huot s application for a COA is based on the contention that Cheryl Nichols the Curran Hall property would be easier to sell —and worth $200,000 or more —if Curran Hall were demolished, it is very important for the Historic District Commission to carefully consider accurate information on property values in the Curran Hall area. As the enclosed letter states, the QQA obtained information from a local appraiser on recent sales of vacant properties near Curran Hall. The sale prices of properties considered comparable to Curran Hall ranged from $1.60 to $2.78 per square foot. At $2.78 per square foot, the Curran Hall property —which contains 17,800 square feet —would sell for $49,484. Mr. Bush 10/30/95 Page 2 The COA application says the $200,000 asking price is based on the price paid by the U. S. Postal Service for property across the street from Curran Hall. However, the post office property sold for about $6.00 per square foot, which would translate into $106,800 for the Curran Hall property, just over half the asking price. In addition, we do not believe the sale of the post office property is comparable because it involved two full blocks of vacant property, for which the U. S. Postal Service was willing to pay a premium in order to construct a new post office near the central business district. Also, the post office property was zoned "General Business," allowing more intensive use than Curran Hall's "High Density Residential" zoning. We believe the value of the Curran Hall property derives from the interest that exists in saving Curran Hall. ff the house is demolished, the property will become just another piece of vacant property in an area where there are vacant properties that have remained unsold for years. If real demand for vacant properties existed in the Curran Hall area, prices would be much higher than $1.60 to $2.78 (or even $6.00) per square foot. Curran Hall recently was boarded by a Naval Reserve Unit of "Seabees" and is secure for the time being from trespassers. The same reserve unit has agreed to provide the labor for stabilizing Curran Hall, if the house is sold for rehabilitation. Given the interest that exists in the rehabilitation of Curran Hall and the low demand for vacant property in the area, the QQA urges members of the Historic District Commission to reject the argument that the Curran Hall property would be more valuable without the house. Instead, we hope the Commission will do what it can to encourage Curran Hall's rehabilitation as the Little Rock Visitors' Center. Sincerely, 'Chery . ichols Executive D' or Enclosure cc: Little Rock Board of Directors Charles Nickerson Tom Carpenter Cy Carney Jim Lawson r% Tim Polk