History on Hinges: Locals working to preserve, restore historic Little Rock homes
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – With over a dozen historic districts in Little Rock, many homes that were once jewels of the neighborhood are now diamonds in the rough looking for someone to shine them up before it’s too late.
“The way to fix social ills is not by tearing down historic houses,” Sarah Brown said.
Historic home of Little Rock Nine member Ernest Green being restored
Sarah Brown is on a mission to preserve the past found in the historic districts across Little Rock.
“The uniqueness of the city or community is displayed in the cultural landscape and in those buildings,” she said.
If you drive through some of these districts, you will see boarded-up windows and historic homes not even close to their former glory.
Brown said red tape and a lack of interest from the younger generation has pieces of history falling off their hinges.
“Often times these properties have a lot of incumbrances on them, liens from anyone,” she said.
As for that spark of interest, it lives in some like David Peterson.
“Our own country’s history is important, and if we all kind of throw it in a dumpster that’s not a great solution,” Peterson said.
Peterson is the owner of two historic homes.
“These older homes have a lot of character that is hard to replicate in these newer houses,” Peterson said.
One of the homes he’s restoring is a rental.
“I’ve even had neighbors come by and thank me for working on the house,” he said.
And while these old rundown homes can be an intimidating project, restoring them can do a lot of good.
“It’s more sustainable,” Hannah Razlaff said. “It has a great economic benefit to a neighborhood.”
Hannah Ratzlaff is the historic preservation officer for Little Rock, and she said there are financial benefits as well.
“It has benefits like tax credits and incentives and state grants that support a property owner in their journey to restoring a structure,” Razlaff said.
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One of the many reasons Sarah and David encourage others to care for these historic homes is to show how much of a difference it can make in a community.
“When people see it being done and see what the potential is and see the difference,” Brown said.
Letting that difference open a door to a new opportunity to make a difference in your community.
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