Two historic Arkansas properties and one neighborhood are on this year’s list of “Most Endangered Places” from the nonprofit Preserve Arkansas.
The annual list highlights historic structures that are most at risk of being demolished, forgotten or developed in an insensitive way. This year’s additions were announced in a Wednesday news conference in front of the William Woodruff House in Little Rock, a 2007 entrant to the Most Endangered list.
Preserve Arkansas Executive Director Rachel Patton says one entry, Centennial Baptist Church in Helena-West Helena, has been in danger of demolition for a long time.
“Centennial Baptist Church was actually included on Preserve Arkansas’ 2006 and 2018 Most Endangered Places lists, and it’s being included again to re-emphasize the importance of the property and the urgent need for action to preserve what remains,” Patton said.
The church is one of 17 National Historic Landmarks in the state, and is known for its association with Dr. Elias Camp Morris, who once served as president of the National Baptist Convention, the largest denomination of Black Christians in the United States. The nearly 120-year-old structure was severely damaged by high winds in 2020 and is in need of extensive repairs.
Making its second appearance on the annual most endangered places list is the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District in Little Rock. Preserve Arkansas Executive Director Rachel Patton says efforts to revitalize the neighborhood while preserving its historic character have had varying degrees of success in recent years.
“There is grassroots support for protecting historic resources in the district, but there are different opinions on how that should be accomplished,” Patton said. “The issues must be addressed in a way that keeps the neighborhood affordable for current residents, but encourages investment in dilapidated and abandoned properties, as well as infill construction that blends with the historic character of the neighborhood.”
Patton says the City of Little Rock placed a moratorium on demolition and exterior building permits in the district in 2022 while planning department staff worked on an ordinance to regulate alterations, demolition and new construction. She says that has been shelved indefinitely, owing partly to a lack of neighborhood support.
The Osceola Times Building, which is the oldest standing building in the Mississippi County town of Osceola, is the third entry in this year’s list of most endangered places. Dating from 1901, the building is currently vacant and has been in a state of disrepair after suffering a partial roof collapse roughly one year ago.
While not officially on this year’s list of entries, Preserve Arkansas President Tim Maddox says the former KATV building in downtown Little Rock is highlighted as a historic structure ripe for redevelopment.
“KATV moved out of the building in January of this year, and it is now vacant. The building is located at a prominent corner in the heart of a revitalizing area. A successful save would be the rehabilitation of the facility into offices, housing or even an urban grocery store,” Maddox said.
Officially called the Worthen Bank Building, the site was constructed in 1928 at the corner of Fourth and Main streets in downtown Little Rock. KATV, the city’s ABC affiliate, moved to a new location in the Riverdale neighborhood in January.
