HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC1984-006 Quapaw Quarter Association Of Historic Little Rock To Mr. Mike Dooley 10/30/1984QUAPAW QUARTER ASSOCIATION
of historic Little Rock
October 30, 1984
Mr. Mike Dooley
Office of Comprehensive Planning
City Hall
Markham at Broadway
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Dear Mike:
At its monthly meeting last night, the Board of
Directors of the Quapaw Quarter Association voted to oppose
the demolition of the Colonial Revival cottage at 1004 Rock
Street. (Bill Kennedy, a QQA board member who also serves
on the Historic District Commission, abstained from the
vote. Otherwise, it was a unanimous decision.) It is the
board's belief, and mine, that the issuance of a certificate
of appropriateness for the proposed demolition would set a
very bad precedent for future decisions. Particularly
because of the "youth" of the Historic District Commission,
the setting of precedents must be taken very seriously.
As you know, the owner of 1004 Rock contends that
tho cottage is in such poor condition that it must be
demolished (and, besides, he wants to plant a vegetable
garden in its place). Contending that a building is "too
far gone" to save is probably the oldest and most -used
excuse for demolition. In the case of 1004 Rock, the excuse may
be valid from the standpoint of the present owner. It is
entirely possible, however, that the cottage could be sold to
someone else who would be willing and able to restore it.
Another possibility that has been proposed to the present
owner is that a group of investors might lease the property
and renovate the cottage utilizing the 25% investment
tax credit available to historic buildings. In this manner,
the present owner would not have to sell the property, and,
at the end of the lease, he or his heirs would have a
renovated building that would be worth considerably more
than a vacant lot.
1321 South Scott m P.O. Box 1104 • Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 9 501-371-0075
Mike Dooley
10/30/84
Page 2
There almost certainlv are alternatives to the
demolition of 1004 Rock Street if additional time and effort
can be given to working with the present owner. Hopefully,
he can be made to understand that the issue is not just
whether or not he should have a vegetable garden but whether
or not the City of Little Rock should be deprived of another
historic building. On behalf of the QQA board, I encourage
the Historic District Commission to deny the certificate
of appropriateness that would allow the demolition of
1004 Rock. Once the certificate is denied, I hope the
Historic District Commission will join forces with the QQA
and residents of the MacArthur Park Historic District in
working with the owner of the cottage to find a way of
renovating it. •
Sincerely,
r
Chexy Griffath Nichols
Execu ive Ditector
cc: Wilson Stiles.