Eureka Springs Hospital asked the Historic District Commission for permission to demolish the building which housed the thrift shop, but the HDC would not approve the request without seeing other options explored.
At the Sept. 7 HDC meeting, Kent Turner represented the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission. He outlined plans for expanding the hospital, and said the building, known as The Purple House, would be “dead set in the center of where we need to start the new addition.”
City Historic Preservation Officer Kylee Hevrdejs said the traditional single-family dwelling dates to 1914. Many similar houses were built in the city. Her assessment also noted that the property is located below grade and would need extensive work to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Commissioner Marty Cogan asked if the ESHC had considered moving the building. “I for one would not vote to demolish it, because there’s nothing inherently wrong with it,” she said. “It just doesn’t suit you guys.” Turner responded that the commission planned to deconstruct the building to make its materials available for re-use.
Commissioner Judy Holden also asked about moving the house, although Turner explained that its location below grade would create problems. “We don’t like the fact that we have to take it down,” he said. He also acknowledged that the hospital could save money by giving the building away to someone interested in moving it.
Commissioners wrestled with a motion to propose alternate solutions to demolition, but they finally voted on the original application and rejected the proposed demolition. They asked Turner to investigate the possibility of giving the building away.
In other business:
- Contractor Pat Lujan spoke on behalf of Joe Greene, owner of a house at 33 Elk St. Greene asked approval for a deck 10 by 14 feet. Although he planned to use wood for the structure, he asked approval to use composite material for the decking. The deck, located at the back of the house, will not be visible from either Elk or White Sts. Commissioners approved the plan, but not before asking questions about setbacks and whether city property had been properly vacated.
- During public comments, Pat Matsukis aired a series of complaints. She began with “the decision on Pine Street.” She had filed the original complaint, and said Hevrdejs, then relatively new on the job, was “bamboozled.” Matsukis has aired complaints about Hevrdejs in the past and returned to that theme later in her comments. Although the city council and the city attorney made the decision to settle with the property owner, Matsukis chided the HDC.
“Why should I ever come back before this body and ask permission again?” She also objected to granting a parking place on Elk Street which intruded on a sidewalk. Matsukis said the Parks Commission should come before the HDC for every project.
- Cogan also weighed in on the Pine Street settlement. “Allowing a homeowner to keep a non-approved and non-conforming porch with a fine takes away the power of the HDC to address what people do with their historic property,” she said. “The consensus seems to be ‘you just pay a fine and do what you damn well please,’ and that is wrong.”
Others at the table shared similar objections. Commissioner Steve Holifield said he had concerns about someone bypassing the appeals process established by the state, which would have required that the appeal go to circuit court. He said the city settled because of fears that the ordinance did not “have enough teeth” to allow the city to demand removal of the portion of a porch which exceeded the approved dimensions.
- Hevrdejs congratulated commissioner Kyle Palmer for arranging a presentation from the Dollars and Sense program with Preserve Arkansas. She said a typical presentation attracts about 25 attendees, but 50 people attended the session here. The program explains potential tax credits for some preservation efforts.
- Commissioner Dee Bright said the Preservation Society’s Tour of Homes will be revived this year, from 3–7 p.m. on Dec. 3.
- The HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The commission could experience problems with establishing a quorum, since three of the seven commissioners have already announced that they will miss that meeting. Level III applications were due Sept. 8, and other levels were due Sept. 14.