Category: Preservation

Jul142016July 14, 2016February 27, 2019by itswebteam

Lakeport Legacies · Revising the Mississippi Capitol

Posted in architecture, event, events, Lakeport Legacies, Mississippi, News, Preservation

Revising the Mississippi Capitol

presented by

Jennifer Baughn & Brenda Davis (Mississippi Department of Archives & History)

Thursday, July 28

Refreshments & Conversation @ 5:30 pm
Program @ 6:00 pm

Designed by St. Louis architect, Theodore Link, the Mississippi State Capitol was constructed between 1900 and 1903. Currently the Beaux Arts-style building is undergoing a two-year, $7.4 million repair and restoration project.

Jennifer Baughn and Brenda Davis will present “Revising the Mississippi Capitol.” The pair will discuss recent findings that are forcing a reassessment of long-held “facts” about some of the building’s most prominent architectural features. Baughn, the chief architectural historian for MDAH, and Davis, curator of the state capitol, worked together on a revised architectural tour guide for the state capitol. It was during research for that piece that they first noticed inconsistencies in previous interpretations of the building’s history.

“Our presentation will answer questions like ‘is the stained glass made by Tiffany’ and ‘why does the eagle face south?'” said Baughn. “And are there really tunnels under the capitol?” added Davis. Baughn and Davis will also address claims that George Mann, the original architect for the Arkansas State Capitol, designed Mississippi’s Capitol dome.

The Mississippi State Capitol is undergoing a two-year, $7.4 million repair and restoration project that will leave the 112-year-old structure in its best shape in decades. Priorities are to address longtime water leaks, replace materials damaged by water and weather, and clean the exterior. The copper eagle atop the main dome has been regilded in gold leaf on site, and seventy-five exterior stained glass windows have been removed, cleaned, and repaired.

Please RSVP to this FREE Event
(by phone, email or online)
870.265.6031 ·

601 Hwy 142 · Lake Village, AR 71653

Lakeport Legacies (LL) meets in the Dining Room of the Lakeport Plantation house. LL, held on one of the last Thursdays of the month at the Lakeport Plantation, features a history topic from the Delta. For more information, call 870.265.6031.

Jun162016June 16, 2016November 22, 2016by itswebteam

Press Release — Lakeport Legacies — June 23 — Clean Lines and Open Fields: A Look at Mid-Century Modern Architecture in the Arkansas Delta

Posted in architecture, event, Lakeport Legacies, News, Preservation

For immediate release 5/14/2016

Lakeport Plantation’s monthly history talk, Lakeport Legacies, will feature Mason Toms. In his talk, “Clean Lines and Open Fields: A Look at Mid-Century Modern Architecture in the Arkansas Delta,” Mr. Toms will explore the region’s most interesting Modern architecture. Structures like the old Dermott State Bank (now Simmons) and St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in DeWitt exemplify the optimism and booming economy of the decades after World War II. Today Modernist architecture is gaining the appreciation of both historians and architecture buffs for its clean lines, functional planning, and futuristic detailing.

McGehee Bank. It was not uncommon for banks to build grander examples of Mid-Century Modern architecture in smaller, rural towns. The architecture signaled trust and stability through “modern and up-to-date” practices. The Modernist-style McGehee Bank, built in 1960, was designed by Little Rock architect Edward Brueggeman

Mason Toms currently serves as the Main Street Arkansas Exterior Design Consultant and Preservation Specialist. As such, he works with building owners in historic downtowns to preserve their facades and storefronts, while still making them visually appealing to a younger generation of consumers. Mr. Toms also works closely with the National Register Department to research and survey Mid-Century Modern architecture around the state. Through these surveys, as well as social media efforts, lectures, and tours, Mr. Toms hopes to raise awareness of the unique and innovative Mid-Century architecture that Arkansas possesses. Mason is a graduate of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, a minor in history, and concentration in architectural history.

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, DeWitt. Lutherans in rural south Arkansas constructed several Modernist houses of worship in the 1960s. Photographed here is the framework eaves and stained glass at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in DeWitt. The church was constructed in 1966 and designed by architect Scott Farrell. In nearby Gillett is St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, a 1966 design by architect Raymond Martin. In Crossett, Huddleston-Emerson-Stiller Architects of Shreveport designed the 1968 St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Dr. H.W. Thomas House, Dermott. Modernist residences in the Delta, like Dr. H.W. Thomas House in Dermott, emerged in the post-World War II ear. Built in 1954 by an unknown architect, the design is heavily influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The design is low and somewhat “hugs” the ground. The heavy use of natural materials in the exterior cladding ties the building to the earth in Wrightian fashion.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Blake Wintory 870.265.6031.

https://lakeport.astate.edu/2016/06/10/lakeport-legacies-%C2%B7-clean-lines-and-open-fields-a-look-at-mid-century-modern-architecture-in-the-arkansas-delta/

Clean Lines and Open Fields: A Look at Mid-Century Modern Architecture in the Arkansas Delta

presented by

Mason Toms (Arkansas Historic Preservation Program)

Thursday, June 23

Refreshments & Conversation @ 5:30 pm

Program @ 6:00 pm

Lakeport Legacies is a monthly history talk held on one of the last Thursdays at the Lakeport Plantation during the spring and summer. Each month a topic from the Delta region is featured. The event is free and open to the public. The Lakeport Plantation is an Arkansas State University Heritage Site. Constructed ca. 1859, Lakeport is one of Arkansas’s premier historic structures and still retains many of its original finishes and architectural details. Open to the public since 2007, Lakeport researches and interprets the people and cultures that shaped plantation life in the Mississippi River Delta, focusing on the Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods. Arkansas Heritage Sites at Arkansas State University develops and operates historic properties of regional and national significance in the Arkansas Delta. ASU’s Heritage Sites include the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, Lakeport Plantation, the Historic Dyess Colony: Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash, and the Arkansas State University Museum.

Lakeport Plantation • 601 Highway 142 • Lake Village • AR • 71653 • lakeport.astate.edu • 870-265-6031

Aug082011August 8, 2011January 8, 2018by itswebteam

Historic Preservation in Lake Village: Remembering, Tearing Down, and Preserving History

Posted in Lake Village, Preservation

Back in April, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program focused on downtown Lake Village for their “Walks Through History Tour.” In February, Lake Village’s downtown was added to the National Register for its local significance under Criterion A (economic development of the city) and C (mid 20th-century architecture). According to AHPP, “The Lake Village Commercial Historic District exemplifies the growth of the city through its peak in the 1950s. The period of significance extends from 1906 to 1960.”

The script for the AHPP tour, given and researched by Rachel Silva, is now available on AHPP’s website as a pdf file. My Pictures of the tour are below:

This August one of the buildings discussed in the tour, the Dixie Queen, was torn down. The tour script says, “Not in district—built about 1935 as a filling station. Later became the Dixie Queen Dairy Bar, a popular hangout for Lake Village youth in its heyday.”

Dixie Queen, April 2011

Dixie Queen, August 3, 2011. Photo by Ned McAffry.

Slab on N. Lakeshore Dr., August 8, 2011

While the loss of the 1935 Dixie Queen / filing station leaves a hole in the city’s historic fabric and an empty lot along the lake front, the city of Lake Village continues with its plans to restore the historic Tushek Building for city offices.

Tushek Building, April 2011

The 1906 Tushek Builing is described in the National Register nomination as the “finest example of a commercial building designed in the Beaux Arts style in the county seat of Lake Village.” The earliest known photo of the building is from a 1908 postcard:

1908 Postcard of Lake Village (corner of Main & Court Streets). Courtesy of Blake Wintory

Meanwhile, over in Monticello (Drew County), the city celebrated the dedication of the rehabilitated Ridgeway Hotel Historic District (includes H. M. Wilson Building). The Ridgeway, a 1930 hotel and a 1912 hardware store, have been rehabed into senior living apartments. The historic district was added to the National Register in 2009.

May262011May 26, 2011November 22, 2016by itswebteam

Lakeport Technical Reports

Posted in Preservation, restoration

Technical Report #1: Parge Coating
Technical Report #2: Chimneys
Technical Report #3: Foundation & Footers
Technical Report #4: Windows
Technical Report #5: Shingled Roof
Technical Report #6: Guttering & Sheet Metal Work
Technical Report #7: Cornice, Siding & Paint
Technical Report #8: Lakeport Porches
Technical Report #9: Braced Frame Construction
Technical Report #10: Smokehouse & Mechanicals

Dendrochronology Report: David W. Stahle and Matthew D. Therrell, Tree-Ring Dating of the Lakeport Plantation House and Shed, Chicot County, Arkansas, May 2003

Archeological Investigations at Lakeport Plantation: Randall Guending, May 2003

Technical Reports are also planned for the brick walkway, plaster work, shutters, restoration of the exterior doors, mantels, and rose window.

May192011May 19, 2011November 22, 2016by itswebteam

May is Preservation Month — Lakeport Technical Reports Made Available

Posted in Preservation, Technical Reports

The National Trust for Historic Preservation declares each May National Preservation Month. This year’s theme is “Celebrating America’s Treasures.” City and county officials throughout Arkansas have recognized the month and made their own preservation declarations.

Yesterday, the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas announced “The Most Endangered Places in Arkansas” aka “Seven to Save.” There is a video of the announcement on Facebook or you can read about the seven on Rex Nelson’s Southern Fried Blog . The announcement has no power to save these sites, but it does raise awareness of historic places and generates public, technical, and financial support.

Lakeport was never on the Preservation Alliance’s most endangered list–although, the H. L. Mitchell/Clay East Building, now ASU’s Southern Tenant Farmers Museum, was on the list in 2000. Lakeport was in need of expert restoration work. Much of the technical work for the restoration was documented and complied into technical reports. Sonya Walker (formally of the Lakeport project) has authored eight technical reports on parge coating; chimneys; foundation and footers; windows; shingled roof; guttering and sheet metal work; cornice, siding, and paint; and smokehouse and mechanicals. Reports on dendrochronology and historic archeology have also been authored.

For Preservation Month these reports are being posted online. Today, there are links for the first three reports and I’ll continue posting more each day.

Lakeport Plantation Technical Reports:

Technical Report #1:  Parge Coating
Technical Report #2: Chimneys
Technical Report #3:  Foundation & Footers
Technical Report #4:  Windows
Technical Report #5:  Shingled Roof
Technical Report #6:  Guttering & Sheet Metal Work
Technical Report #7:  Cornice, Siding & Paint
Technical Report #8: Lakeport Porches
Technical Report #9: Braced Frame Construction
Technical Report #10:  Smokehouse & Mechanicals

Dendrochronology Report: David W. Stahle and Matthew D. Therrell, Tree-Ring Dating of the Lakeport Plantation House and Shed, Chicot County, Arkansas, May 2003

Archeological Investigations at Lakeport Plantation: Randall Guending, May 2003

Technical Reports are also planned for the brick walkway, plaster work, shutters, restoration of the exterior doors, mantels, and rose window.

Mar022011March 2, 2011November 22, 2016by itswebteam

Preservation & Tourism News for Lake Village & Chicot County

Posted in News, Preservation, tourism

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, in a press release, announced Lake Village’s downtown has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. On Saturday, April 9th at 11 a.m., AHPP will hold its Walks through History program in downtown Lake Village. Lakeport will also be open following the Walks through History program.

DOWNTOWN LAKE VILLAGE LISTED ON NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

LITTLE ROCK—The Lake Village Commercial Historic District at Lake Village in Chicot County has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of historically significant properties, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Director Frances McSwain announced today.

The Lake Village Commercial Historic District – which is bounded by Lakeshore Drive, Jackson Street, Chicot Street and Church Street – features buildings dating to around 1906.

“The district reflects the growth of Lake Village as a nucleus of commerce and trade in southeast Arkansas,” the National Register nomination says. “As the county seat, Lake Village is a center for local government and the Chicot County Courthouse is a cornerstone of the downtown commercial district. The Lake Village Commercial Historic District contains 38 buildings and one monument.”

The AHPP is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving the state’s cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

On Friday, February 18th, the Delta Byways held their 11th Annual Delta Awards in Forrest City. Lake Villagers were dominated for two awards; Brianne Connelly of Lake Village was nominated for the Tourism Support Award and Lake Village Mayor JoAnne Bush was nominated and won Tourism Person of the Year.

Tourism Person of the Year Winner JoAnne Bush with family and supporters from Lake Village

Brianne Connelly, Tourism Support Nominee, with James Bacon

11^th Annual Delta Awards for Tourism Achievement

The 11th annual Delta Awards recognizing tourism achievements in Eastern Arkansas were presented during festivities Friday evening, February 18, at the Forrest City Civic Center in Forrest City, Arkansas. The event was sponsored by Arkansas Delta Byways, with support from the St. Francis County Museum and the Forrest City A & P Commission.

Finalists for the awards were as follows, with the winner designated by an asterisk:

1. Media Support Award

Cross County Historical Society Newsletter, Wynne

*Delta Crossroads Magazine, Piggott, Rector, Manila and Trumann

Rob Johnson, Forrest City Broadcasting

2. Hospitality Award

Edwardian Inn, Helena

*Lake Poinsett State Park, Harrisburg

Paragould Community Center, Paragould

3. Entrepreneur Award

ASU Farmers’ Market, Jonesboro

E. J. Miller, Colton’s Steak House, Marion

*Periwinkle Place, McGehee

4. Tourism Support Award

Brianne Connelly, Lake Village

*Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, Little Rock

Scott Lane, Dermott

5. Festival/Event of the Year

Blues on Broadway, West Memphis

Loose Caboose XXI, Paragould

*Tour duh Sunken Lands Harvest Ride, Dyess, Lepanto, Marked Tree and Tyronza

6. Boot Strap Award

Dyess Days, Dyess

*Main Street Paragould’s Holiday Traditions, Paragould

McGehee Historic Depot, McGehee

7. Promotional Award

Arkansas DeltaMade Artists – Betsy Brackin, Norwood Creech, Suzanne Churchill,

Edward Wade and Nancy LaFarra Wilson, All Counties

*City Branding Programs, Blytheville, Helena, Paragould and West Memphis

Bike Crowley’s Ridge, Mississippi River Trail

8. Outstanding Member Award

Linda Hinton, Tyronza

*Sheilla Lampkin, Monticello

Vicki Trimble, Lake Frierson State Park, Jonesboro

9. Cultural Heritage Award

*Exploring the Arkansas Frontier, ASU Museum, Jonesboro

Civil War Helena, Phillips Helena

Parker Pioneer Homestead, Harrisburg

10. Tourism Person of the Year Award

*JoAnne Bush, Lake Village

Rosalind O’Neal, Marion

Munnie Jordan, Helena