The Historic District Commission rejected a request to remove a cabin at 95 S. Main St., next to the Eureka Springs Historical Museum.
The cabin, dating to 1889, was once owned by Cora Pinkley Call. She was born in 1892 and is remembered for her writing and leadership in the Ozark Writers-Artists Guild. The cabin was moved from its original location on Mill Hollow Rd. in 1998. Since then, however, the cabin has deteriorated to a point where the museum board sees no other option but to remove it.
Museum President Kent Turner said the board has struggled with the decision for more than a year, but the cabin has become a public safety issue. “We all agree about the cabin’s importance,” he said. The board has even approached Call’s descendants.
A letter from Building Inspector Bobby Ray described a building in “very poor structural condition,” with lower logs rotted away and large gaps in the floor, walls, and roof. Ray saw “evidence of structural members failing,” and described an overall “rapid severe decline.”
In response to questions from the table, Turner explained that Call had never lived in the cabin but used it for her writing. Commissioner Marty Cogan talked about Call’s place in the city’s history, and commissioner Greg Moon asked if the museum had raised money to acquire the cabin.
Turner acknowledged the local support that made the project possible, but said, “The problem was, no one gave any consideration to the totally inappropriate location.” He said water running from that hillside runs through the site and changing that water flow would require expensive excavation.
Cogan said the building should never have reached its current state, and Turner agreed, saying the museum should never have acquired the cabin. He estimated a cost of $20,000 to restore the cabin at this point, and the project could not rely on grants because the cabin has already been moved. Some of the original logs were replaced when the cabin was moved.
Turner explained difficulties of raising money for the museum’s other operations and said the board has found no way to raise the required funds. The museum would have no recourse but to watch the cabin continue to decline. Meanwhile, the museum staff still see occasional squatters in the cabin, and the area behind the cabin often serves as an open-air restroom.
The application failed, with only one vote in favor. Although Chair Dee Bright did not vote, she offered her perspective after the vote. “I’m sorry to see another building go, but Kent’s right,” she said. “If you’re going to donate something [to a nonprofit], please donate money to take care of it.” She mentioned the constant struggle to fund some of the museum’s other commitments.
During commissioner comments at the end of the meeting, Bright issued a heartfelt appeal to maintain property. She asked residents to help their elderly neighbors, if necessary, to “save our historic buildings.”
No approval for partial porch screening
At 40 Mountain St., Carol Bronner asked approval to screen part of a porch. The house dates to 1913 and is considered contributing. Bronner’s plan called for using 2×2 wooden frames to enclose an eight-ft. square section of the existing porch. The wooden frames would be painted to match existing woodwork.
Harry Meyer spoke on behalf of Bronner, and he said screen would only cover one corner of the porch, leaving open the stairs leading to the front porch. He said the property is set back from the road and its height above the street would minimize visibility of the screening.
Commissioner Steve Holifield read from guidelines specifically limiting screens on front porches, but Bright reminded commissioners that they had approved the installation of removable screen panels for a previous applicant.
Meyer said the screen panels could easily be installed with screws instead of nails, to make them removable. He also explained that the installation would not damage existing woodwork. With two commissioners absent, the application was rejected with a 2-2 vote.
In other business:
Lori and Vance Hunter had received permission Feb. 19 to remove a garage and the breezeway connecting the garage to the house at 5 Prospect Ave. Last week, they returned with an application for an addition replacing the breezeway. A lengthy list of specifications was approved, outlining the doors, windows, and siding for the project.
The HDC approved a request from Tom Reay to add a flagstone patio with a firepit at The Woods Cabins at 50 Wall St. He had already received approval from the building inspector and the fire marshal for the firepit, which measures 52 inches in diameter and runs on natural gas.
At 19 1/2 Spring St., Greg and Kathy Hughes received approval to install a roof over their rear patio. Previous owners had installed a framework for the roof, and the Hughes’ will add lap-panel steel roofing in a burgundy color. HDC guidelines allow such roofing on commercial structures. The building dates to 1904, and is considered contributing.
Justin Robins asked permission to add stair railings at two adjacent properties at 40 and 42 Armstrong St., the Cliff Cottage Inn. Robins said the exterior stairs have never had railings, and he mentioned safety considerations in his application. The HDC approved two options, using wrought iron or painted wood. Cogan complimented Robins on the renovations to his properties, and others at the table agreed. His application also included a request to add a fountain between the two properties.
Larry Childs received approval to install a fence 48” high in his back yard at 26 Emporia St. The fence will be black vinyl-coated chain link, and Childs said the yard has minimal visibility from the street. Holifield read from guidelines specifically approving this material in back yards, and all agreed.
The HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18. Level III applications were due by March 5, and other levels are due by March 12.