Nominations will be accepted through August 31 for the 2024 Arkansas Preservation Awards, and we want YOU to share your favorite preservation projects with us! Honorees will be feted at a celebration on January 31, 2025.

The Arkansas Preservation Awards have been given since 1981 to recognize the important work being done to preserve and protect places of historic and cultural importance. Any individual, organization, business, or public agency is eligible for nomination.

For complete nomination instructions, to view the award categories, and to submit a nomination, please visit our website.

Join us in Hot Springs September 27-28, 2024, to celebrate the work of architect I. Granger McDaniel with a reception and guided tour of McDaniel-designed properties. McDaniel’s life story is extraordinary; in fact, his experiences during World War II inspired a Hollywood film. After the war, he designed many buildings in Hot Springs, reshaping the city’s appearance in the mid-20th century.

Friday, 9/27, 5:30-7 PM: Opening reception featuring McDaniel's Daughter, Diana Hampo

Saturday, 9/28, 10 AM-1 PM: Trolley tour of several significant McDaniel properties

*Saturday’s tour is approved for 3 LU|HSW Continuing Education Units through the American Institute of Architects*

Last week, Preserve Arkansas organized a tour of Little Rock's historic VA hospital, which is currently being rehabilitated into apartments.

The project makes use of federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits, and the tour was an excellent demonstration of how these benefits can spur growth and development.

Thank you to developers Pace Burt and Rick Goddard for hosting us, and thank you to staff from the offices of Sen. Boozman, Sen. Cotton, Rep. Hill, and Gov. Sanders for attending and supporting the federal historic tax credit. Thank you to our partners and friends at the Division of Arkansas Heritage, Quapaw Quarter Association, and Downtown Little Rock Partnership for participating as well!

>> Click here to view photos from the tour!

There are three remaining opportunities to tune in to our monthly Women in Preservation webinar series this year. Our August speaker was Quantia “Key” Fletcher, Director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and her talk was truly inspirational!

>> If you missed it live, watch the replay here!

Join us on Tuesday, September 10 at 3:30 PM for a talk by Natalie Biles, ASID, lead designer and co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio based in Lonoke, Arkansas.

>> Click here to register!

>> Visit our website to see our full speaker lineup!

Katherine Nash, a glass artist and preservationist with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, was awarded our Becky and Charles Witsell Fellowship for Preservation Education and Training. Nash used the stipend to attend a workshop at the American Glass Guild Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In the workshop, Nash learned historic methods of glass painting; conference lectures on conservation and restoration of historic glass also served to support Nash's work with historic county courthouses and easement properties.

This fellowship is supported with funds from Preserve Arkansas's Becky and Charles Witsell Endowment.

>> Click here to see more photos from the workshop!

Join us for brunch and bubbles at Preserve Arkansas's annual membership meeting on October 12 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Clayton House in Fort Smith.

The meeting is an opportunity for preservationists (and preservation enthusiasts) to meet and mingle; we will also conduct a brief business meeting to elect our next slate of board members and officers.

Non-members are welcome to attend and join or renew at the event! Special thanks to Dr. Suzzette Goldmon and Hospitality and Tourism students from the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Human Sciences for their assistance with brunch!

>> Click here to RSVP by October 4!

>> Click here to join/renew online!

Preserve Arkansas Rambles are bus trips that explore Arkansas’s heritage sites for an exceptional experience filled with history and fun. Our 2024 Ramble will travel to significant historic places throughout the Southeast Arkansas Delta associated with the region’s legacy of strength and resilience, including the Dunbar Jr. and Sr. High School, Lakeport Plantation Museum, UAM’s Taylor House, Selma Rosenwald School, WWII Japanese American Internment Camp Museum, Rohwer Relocation Center Cemetery, John H. Johnson House, UAPB Museum and Cultural Center, and more.

*Reserve by October 29; seating is limited.*

>> Click here for more information and to reserve your seat!