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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC1985-002 Letter From Quapaw Quarter Association To Mr. John P. Corn Attorney At Law 06/28/1985QUAPAW R�ARTER ASSOCIATION istoric Little Rock - June 28, 1985 Mr. John P. Corn Attorney At Law P.O. Box 9859 Little Rock, Arkansas 72219 Re: 522 Rock Street Dear Mr. Corn: Thank you for your letter of June 27, along with the attached questionnaires filled out by property owners in the vicinity of the house at 522 Rock Street which the American Legion wishes to demolish for parking. It certainly is remarkable that every property owner whose questionnaire you forwarded answered all of the questions in exactly the same manner. The house at 522 Rock Street has been an eyesore and,a nuisance for many years --no one will dispute that. The house directly across the street, at 521 Rock Street, also was an eyesore and a nuisance for many years, but then it was rehabilitated and became an extremely attractive part of the MacArthur Park Historic District. The same might occur with 522 Rock Street; demolition is not necessarily the only solution to the present condition of the house. As I am.sure you are aware, your questionnaire is extremely prejudicial. For instance, item#5 does not list "rehabilitation" as one of the alternatives for the future of the property. The alternatives listed obviously were designed to make "off street parking" seem the best choice. If you had included "rehabilitation as apartments or offices," I suspect you would have received some different answers. Further, nearby property owners, unless they happen to be architectural historians, are not qualified to make judgments about the historical and architectural si4nificance of 522 Rock Street. Consequently, items #1, #2, and #3 of your questionnaire are meaningless. Rather than having prejudicial questionnaires filled out by persons who obviously have been coached to give the "right" answers, I would suggest that you seek the advice of a qualified architect (one who has experience in dealing with historic buildings) to determine whether or not the rehabilitation of 522 Rock Street is 1315 South Scott • P.O. Box 1104 r Little Rock, Arkansas 72203,0 501-371-0075 Mr. Corn 6/28/85 Page 2 feasible. You will be able to present a much better case for demolition if you have the opinion of someone who is nualified to make judgments about the condition and potential of the house. On the other hand, you may find out that the house is not beyond repair and that by rehabilitating it as apartments or offices, the American Legion could create for itself a nice source of income. You might also consider selling the house to someone else for the purpose of rehabilitation. In closing, I would encourage you to keep an open mind about the possible uses of the house. The overriding concern, from the perspective of both the Little Rock Historic District Commission and the Quapaw Quarter Association, is making sure that all buildings (and other property) in the MacArthur Park Historic District are treated in a manner that is in the best interest of the general public, rather than only in the best interest of one individual or organization. The MacArthur Park Historic District was created because the area surrounding MacArthur Park contains some of the oldest and most historic buildings in Little Rock, and it is generally recognized that the preservation of historic buildings serves an important public purpose. Sincerely, ✓! CetGr'th Nichols Excveei Dector P. S. For your reference, I am enclosing before.and after the rehabilitation you can see, it looked just as bad cc: Mike Dooley copies of photographs taken of 521 Rock Street. As as 522 Rock looks now.