Katherine W. Stewart was raised in New England by Arkansan parents. After completing a degree in linguistics from the University of Iowa, she moved to Arkansas and embarked upon a communications career that has included print and digital media within journalism, nonprofits, government, and academia. Katherine is excited to support the mission of Preserve Arkansas by combining her communications experience with her lifelong passion for history and material culture—specifically, very old buildings and very old clothes, the former of which she aspires to live in, and the latter of which she has a collection dating back to the 1840s.

Our 2023 Ramble will transport guests from North Little Rock to Northeast Arkansas, where they will enjoy tours of historic places along the Great River Road from Marion to Blytheville. Stops include the Sultana Disaster Museum at Marion; the historic Greyhound Bus Station, Mississippi County Courthouse – Chickasawba District, and BAFB Alert Facility Site at Blytheville; and the Hampson Archeological Museum State Park and Louis Hotel at Wilson. The day will wrap up with dinner at The Grange in Wilson before the bus returns to central Arkansas.

>>Purchase tickets for the Ramble here!

The Women in Preservation Virtual Speaker Series features women who are working to save historic places. Thanks to generous support from DEMX Architecture, all programs are free.

Join us on Tuesday, October 10 at 3:30 p.m. for a program by Lori Ferriss, AIA, Design Research and Teaching Fellow at Northeastern University and Architecture 2030 Senior Fellow. Lori is an architect, structural engineer, and preservationist focused at the intersections of building reuse and climate action. She is a co-developer of the CARE Tool, which estimates the carbon benefits of reusing and retrofitting buildings, and her research in establishing carbon accounting methods and standards of practice for existing and historic buildings has been featured in publications ranging from the Journal of Architectural Conservation to Architect Magazine and presented on-stage at the UN COP27 climate conference.

>>Register for the webinar

>>Watch previous webinars on YouTube

The City of Texarkana, AR, will hold a workshop on preservation and repair of historic windows, Oct. 20-22, 2023. Gain hands-on experience as you work with national preservation expert Bob Yapp to restore and repair the windows of a local property.

October 20-22, 2023

8 AM to 5 PM

$50 per person

18 and older

Lunch provided

For more info and to register, contact Jodie Dye at 870-779-4974 or jodie.dye@txkusa.org.

With the help of a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Arkansas Fund and support from our generous sponsors, Preserve Arkansas hosted Dollars & Sense of Historic Preservation in Texarkana on September 29.

Dollars & Sense is a day-long program designed to emphasize the economic benefits of preservation, provide information and resources on preservation incentives, and encourage use of incentives through practical, real-world examples.

Featured speakers were Donovan Rypkema, Washington, DC-based preservation economist; Louisiana State Rep. Michael Echols; preservation consultant Amber Jones; and Preserve Arkansas Executive Director Rachel Patton. Attendees also enjoyed tours of historic buildings in downtown Texarkana led by Main Street Texarkana's Jamie Simmons.

Preserve Arkansas worked with Ecological Design Group to organize a tour of their Rogers office, located inside the historic Carnation Milk Plant, for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (AR-3). Built in 1927-28, the milk plant processed and distributed milk from dairies on northwest Arkansas farms. It was recently rehabilitated to house Ecological Design Group as well as an architecture firm, retail and flexible space, and an apartment. The project will take advantage of Federal Historic Tax Credit incentives. Big thanks to Ecological Design Group for their preservation work and for hosting us!

Preserve Arkansas invites members of Congress to tour Historic Tax Credit projects when they are at home during the August Recess to show them first-hand the transformative benefits of the HTC and encourage them to support enhancements to the tax credit program.

Preserve Arkansas worked with organizations, businesses, and Certified Local Governments in Arkansas's Fourth Congressional District to build support for the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Reauthorization Act through a coalition letter addressed to U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman. Rep. Westerman is the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, where this issue will be discussed. After sending the letter, we coordinated with Rep. Westerman's staff to schedule a meeting with Preserve Arkansas and our national partners at Preservation Action, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers to urge support of the HPF.

>>Read the coalition letter here

>>Urge Congress to reauthorize the HPF

Preserve Arkansas traveled to Pocahontas to meet with Randolph County Judge Ben Wicker and members of the quorum court to discuss preservation grant opportunities for the 1940 courthouse. Later that day, the quorum court officially convened to approve funding for a feasibility study and condition assessment by WER Architects/Planners of Little Rock. Preserve Arkansas is hopeful that the county will use the findings of this study to prioritize needs for the courthouse and submit an application for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's County Courthouse Restoration Grant program.

Thursday, November 16

The ARTSpace on Main, Pine Bluff

5:30 p.m. Reception

6:00 p.m. Business Meeting

7:00 p.m. Tour of The ARTSpace

Preserve Arkansas members are invited to attend our Annual Membership Meeting on Nov. 16 at The ARTSpace on Main in downtown Pine Bluff. Part of The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, The ARTSpace on Main is a multipurpose community arts and events space featuring the Windgate Community Gallery; Kline Family Foundation Event Gallery; workshop and studio spaces; the outdoor ART Yard for large-scale projects, and more.

>>Join or renew your membership today

• Nov. 28 - Giving Tuesday
• Nov. 29 - Preserve Arkansas Bingo Night at Flyway Brewing, North Little Rock
• Jan. 26 - Arkansas Preservation Awards, Robinson Center, Little Rock