Q4 2026 Quapaw Quarter Chronicle

The Quapaw Quarter Chronicle

Historic Preservation in Greater Little Rock

October 2026

In this edition:

  • 2026 Greater Little Rock Preservation Award Winners
  • Committee reports
  •     Historic Kirby House fire and proposed Scipio Jones House legislation
  •     Education committee outreach
  •     Summer Events and Membership
  • A brief look at selling your Arkansas Historic Tax Credits
  • Save the Dates

Craftsman, Victor Vazquez, works on repair work for St. Edward Catholic Church’s stained glass windows.

Quapaw Quarter Association Announces Winners of its 2026 Greater Little Rock Preservation Awards

The 2026 Greater Little Rock Preservation Awards will be presented on Thursday, November 12, at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock during the QQA’s Annual Membership Meeting.

Projects recognized in the 2026 awards include:

Award of Merit | Commercial/Government-Led Rehabilitation

The Bob R. Brooks, Jr. Justice Building, historically known as the Boyle Building, is a downtown Little Rock landmark built in 1909 by prominent Arkansas architect George R. Mann. This award recognizes the preservation and rehabilitation of this significant historic building through the efforts of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and project partners Moses Tucker Partners and Arvest Bank. Additional partners include District Design Architecture, Shine Interior Design Studio, Equity Partners Holding, Central Construction, and North Delta Structural Engineering.

Award of Merit | Institution-Led Restoration

St. Edward Catholic Church, built between 1901 and 1905 by prominent Little Rock architect Charles L. Thompson, is recognized for its historic architecture and enduring presence in the community. This award honors the church congregation’s commitment to preserving and restoring its stained-glass windows, church organ, and architectural integrity. Special recognition is given to the contributions of Russ Matson of Matson Construction and Victor Vasquez.

Award of Merit | Institution-Led Restoration

Fraternal Historic Cemetery, established in 1888, is a historic Little Rock cemetery preserving African American history and heritage. With support from the Black History Commission of Arkansas and the Curtis H. Sykes Grant, this project helped preserve the cemetery’s historic markers and gravestones through cleaning and the discovery of previously buried markers. This award recognizes the contributions of the Friends of Oakland and Fraternal Historic Cemetery Board Members, Oakland and Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park City Board Members, Representative Denise Jones Ennett, John Rains, Sexton, David McDowell, Sexton Assistant, and the many volunteers whose efforts made this project possible.

Award of Merit | Residential Rehabilitation

The Wojhoski House, built in 1909, has been restored after suffering major damage from two separate fires and remaining vacant for many years. This award recognizes the successful rehabilitation of a seriously damaged historic home. Special recognition is given to homeowners Paula and Mark Cardillo, architect Ed Sergeant, contractor Jeff Lewis, and Antoinette Johnson for tax credit consultation and design.

Award of Merit | Residential Preservation Repairs

The Kavanuagh House, built in 1889-1899, underwent major repair work this past year. The restoration returned the home to near-original condition through extensive brick repointing, roof and gutter repairs, and careful restoration of historic doors, windows, and trim. The front porch was rebuilt with custom-cut cypress flooring, preserving the home’s historic character for generations to come. This award recognizes the dedication of homeowners, Marvin and Marcella Dalla Rosa, Murdaugh Masonry, US Heritage Group, Jon Klass, Bray Sheet Metal, Evaristo Vega, Wes Henderson, and Connie Wright Welding.

Award of Merit | Residential Rehabilitation

Now known as “The Mallard” this home was rehabilitated using the Arkansas State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. This rehabilitation prioritized repair over replacement, preserving original wood windows, doors, trim, flooring, built-ins, and fireplaces while addressing structural, termite, and water damage. Modern electrical, plumbing, and HVAC updates were integrated while retaining the home’s historic character and craftsmanship, bringing the residence back into active use. This award recognizes the continued work of the team at Chester Nests; Angela and Bobby Mathews, and Lynn Boyd,

Award of Merit | Residential Rehabilitation of a property on the Unsafe & Vacant list

The home at 2400 Daisy Bates Drive sat vacant and gutted for years before being lovingly restored, with original details and Craftsman features returned to the property. This award recognizes owner Paul Dodds of Urban Frontier, who has rehabilitated 19 other properties in the Central High School Neighborhood Historic District, and Alfonso Flores of Flores Remodeling, LLC, for their contributions to this project.

Award of Merit | Residential Rehabilitation

Affectionately known as the Halliburton Sisters, these twin townhomes are a unique pair of homes in Little Rock. Built in the Classical Revival style, the two homes had fallen into disrepair, and eventually sat vacant for many years. This award recognizes the work of Tony Keopaseuth, who kept the history for the houses alive while updating every mechanical aspect to modern standards. Both homes are listed for sale at the time of this publication.

Award of Merit | Appropriate infill in an historic setting

This newly built accessory dwelling unit was built to fit the scale and design of the surrounding historic properties. The front facade, interior milled trim, design, scale, and colorways creates an appropriate addition to the existing historic neighborhood. This award recognizes the continued work of the team at Chester Nests; Angela and Bobby Mathews, and Lynn Boyd.

Jimmy Strawn Award of Honor

The Jimmy Strawn Award is bestowed upon someone whose efforts on behalf of the preservation of Greater Little Rock’s architectural heritage are an inspiration to the entire community.

This year, we are recognizing Jimmy Carlisle, whose craftsmanship, patience, and dedication to historic preservation are evident in his careful restoration of original materials and recreation of historic details. By sharing his skills and recognizing the potential in buildings others might abandon, Jimmy helps preserve not only irreplaceable architectural features but entire historic structures for future generations. Jimmy has worked on over 100 projects in Little Rock, many of them starting on the Unsafe and Vacant list.

Tom Wilkes Award for outstanding service on the Board of Directors

This award is given by the QQA Board of Directors to recognize a member of the board for outstanding service. This year, we honor Richard Steinkamp, whose personal and professional history reflects a deep, longstanding connection to Little Rock’s historic neighborhoods. With family roots in the Mansion District dating to the 1880s, Richard’s commitment to preservation is grounded in generations of local history. After a distinguished career in law and public service, Richard returned to Little Rock in 2015, restoring the historic 1938 Mayer cottage. Through his service to the QQA and dedication to preserving the places that connect our community to its past, Richard has helped carry Little Rock’s architectural heritage forward for future generations.

    The awards ceremony is free and open to the public, and QQA membership is not required to attend. The Association welcomes community members to join in celebrating the people and projects that help preserve Greater Little Rock’s historic places.

    Event registration can be done through this link: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/qqa/6587/event/1476521

    Those interested in supporting this work can learn more about the QQA and membership opportunities at quapaw.com

    Committee Reports

    Advocacy Committee

    Historic Kirby House set ablaze from lightning strike

    On Monday, August 24th, the current owners of the historic Kirby house awoke to loud cracks of thunder, rain, and aggressive lightning strikes. What they didn’t know at the time, is that one of those lightning bolts had hit their 140 year old home-catching the roof on fire. The family is devastated by the damage, but there is hope for the future of this Queen Ann beauty.

    The “palatial” Queen Ann-style home was built in 1886-87 for Samuel B. Kirby. Kirby owned a sewing machine distribution company, and owned real estate in the Little Rock area. According to an ad run on June 19, 1887, in the Arkansas Gazette, the home was “furnished with all the modern appliances and conveniences, and will be supplied with water and gas, and handsome bath rooms.”

    Details seen in the 1887 cut of the home were replicated by Tony Curtis, who spent decades lovingly restoring the home to her former glory. The Kirby House had been split into apartments, as was the fate of many historic homes in the Quarter.

    In 2021, the QQA awarded Tony Curtis with the Jimmy Strawn Award, bestowed upon someone whose efforts on behalf of the preservation of Greater Little Rock’s architectural heritage are an inspiration to the entire community.  

    Read about the QQA award presented to the late Tony Curtis here.

     


    Historic Curran Hall set for repair work and grant applications

    Since 2007, the QQA has stewarded the Walter-Curran-Bell house as its office, as well as managing the official Little Rock Visitor Information Center. This fall, repair work will begin to assess wood rot, paint chipping, and other routine maintenance needed to care for the 184 year old site.

    Curran Hall holds a preservation easement with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. 

    A preservation easement (more generally called a conservation easement) is a voluntary legal agreement through which a property owner grants rights to approve future development of or changes to a historic property to a qualified organization whose mission includes historic preservation. Once recorded, the easement restrictions “run with the land” in perpetuity, thus binding not only the owner who grants the easement but all future owners as well. In Arkansas, the primary recipient of these easements is the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Curran Hall also sits within the MacArthur Park Local Historic District, which requires Certificates of Appropriateness (COA) before work begins. Preservation easements and local ordinance overlays are incredibly important tools that help protect historic resources across Greater Little Rock and the state of Arkansas.

    If you need assistance with permitting, repair work, national register nomination forms, or general historic home care, contact the Quapaw Quarter Association at qqa@quapaw.com

     

    Arkansas State Representative, French Hill, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on Scipio Jones House Assessment Act

    Quoted from Representative Hill’s newsletter:
    ”Preserving Scipio Jones’s Legacy

    Scipio A. Jones played an important role in Arkansas’s civil rights history and in advancing constitutional rights across our nation. I testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on my Scipio Jones House Assessment Act, which would direct the Department of the Interior to study the feasibility of including his historic Little Rock home in the National Park System while maintaining local control. Preserving the Scipio Jones House will help future generations learn about his remarkable legacy and Arkansas’s important place in our nation’s civil rights history.”

    Education Committee

    2026 Preservation Conversations made possible by Table Setters, INC.


    Education Committee hosts another round of Get to know your Neighborhood: Pub Quiz at Plaza Frida

    Plaza Frida’s mission is to serve as a community, cultural, and economic bridge that connects people from diverse backgrounds across Central Arkansas. Through inclusive programs, events, and spaces, they promote access to resources, small business development, community engagement, and cultural exchange. Their bilingual initiatives aim to reduce barriers, strengthen communication, and foster a more united, resilient, and thriving community. A huge thank you to the Plaza Frida team and El Malecon restaurant that hosted us, as well as provided some gifts for our teams!

    Trivia rounds included questions about the Wakefield, Geyer Springs, and Baseline neighborhoods. One round featured questions exclusively about Plaza Frida and it’s dedication to central Arkansas communities. Our Neighborhood Pub Quiz program is built to bring neighbors and locals together to learn some history about the neighborhoods we live in.

    We plan these quarterly and will be headed up to Hillcrest next! Book your calendars for November 17th!

    Participants at our Plaza Frida Get to Know Your Neighborhood Pub Quiz. .

    In late July, our education committee also hosted a Preservation Conversation focused on all things historic home research. This event was such a big hit that we are planning more home research workshops. Keep an eye out for these!

    Bonus Preservation Conversation added to calendar

    Join the QQA for a BONUS Preservation Conversation this year. We will be highlighting the work of F. Eugene Withrow and his work of the Gibson & Company’s Blue Star / Horizon Home in Little Rock. The building was constructed in 1964 by F. Eugene Withrow in the Wrightian style. The house features an award-winning design from the Horizon Homes program. The property also served as a “Blue Star Home” to showcase modern gas appliances. This unique structure remains one of Little Rock’s most unique examples of mid-century residential architecture.


    QQA Awarded Grant from National Trust for Historic Places

    The QQA has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the National Trust Preservation Fund to support our new education initiative, a video Series titled, Meet the Little Rock you love- historic preservation in the Capital City. The National Trust is “very supportive of this worthwhile preservation initiative.”

    Were you involved with some early preservation projects in Little Rock? Do you have a story to share about Little Rock’s preservation history? We would LOVE to talk with you and hear more about it. If you want to get involved with the project, please reach out to us using the link below.

    More information about this grant will be shared soon. If you are interested in making a financial contribution to this project, please donate on our website and click the “National Trust Grant Match” option in the donation form.

    Get involved with the project by emailing us at qqa@quapaw.com!

    Donate to the project using this link!

    Development Committee

    2026 Summer Supper series comes to a close

    Each year, the QQA partners with hosts across the Greater Little Rock area to bring together history, good food, and the spirit of preservation. This summer we saw the beautiful restoration of the Mills Davis house. Our hosts, Jennifer Carman and Kat Wilson, brought friends together to provide a unique array of dishes - historic recipes spanning over 200 years of Arkansas history. It was a hit!

    Next, QQA members were offered a first-come first-served set of limited tickets to dine in the Capital Hotel’s wine cellar. The team at the Capital Hotel provided a history tour of the site, a champagne reception, and a beautiful menu of wine paired courses. The Capital Hotel is a prestigious example of historic preservation. In the early 1980s, architect Ed Cromwell, with a group of other investors, began the work of restoring the hotel to its original grandeur after a period of major decline and disrepair. The doors opened once again just before Christmas of 1983. The Capital Hotel celebrates 150 years of history this year.

    Photos from our  Capital Hotel Summer Supper

    Architect spotlight of Little Rock’s Noland Blass

    Our last true Summer Supper of the season was hosted in a private home, designed by notable architect Noland Blass in 1964. The team that has brought you Flora Jeans and @ The Corner Diner in downtown Little Rock provided catering and wine pairings. Supper guests enjoyed an architectural lecture about Noland Blass’s work across Arkansas, as well as an overview of this home.

    Guests photographed through the central glass atrium of the Noland Blass Brown Family Home.

    Photo Credits: Josie Burnett

    Read more about the Brown House here.

    Expanding the Supper Season

    Our planning team has decided to transition this series into the Seasonal Suppers. The decision came from discussions with possible hosts that wanted to utilize outdoor space, better weather, and a changing season. Because of this, our Seasonal Suppers will look just a little bit different next year, but we promise that they will be just as exciting, educational, and full of historic preservation success stories.

    A grand finale to 2026 Suppers:

    A Dinner with the Dead at the Historic Owens Funeral Home

    Join the Quapaw Quarter Association for our last installment of our Summer Supper series, transitioning to the name Seasonal Suppers. Built in 1928, the Owens Funeral Home has sat at the corner of Main and 5th in the Argenta Historic District of North Little Rock for almost 100 years. The Owens Funeral Home served the community until the business was sold in the late 1970s. The property then went through several owners, before it was purchased in the early 2000s by a group of businessmen who recognized the value of this historic building and invested in repairing and renovating the space to serve as offices. The 2nd floor apartments were also renovated to serve as living space once again. Mr. and Mrs. Hardin, part owners of the building, continue to live and work here, in the heart of downtown Argenta.

    Dinner will be served family style, using local ingredients to create a tasteful, seasonal menu. Hand mixed cocktails will be served throughout the night, and the Funeral Home will be open to explore for the duration of the event.

    Get your tickets here!

    THANK YOU CORPORATE PARTNERS:

    For decades, support from organizations across Arkansas have helped ensure that our neighborhoods, commercial districts, and architectural heritage remain vibrant assets that contribute to the quality of life and economic vitality of Greater Little Rock. We believe historic preservation strengthens neighborhoods, supports economic development, and creates a stronger sense of place. Corporate Partners support our work because they understand the business value of historic preservation and community development. It can also be a great way to advertise your business or organization. Consider joining our mission today!

    Marre Circle ($3,000 +)

    Carl Miller, Jr. Foundation

    Curran Circle ($1,000-$2,999)

     

     

    Woodruff Circle ($500-999)

    Urban Frontier, LLC

    Ashley Circle ($300-499)

    Support from our Corporate Partners is integral to our work. From supporting education events and research, to our more in-depth workshops, our Corporate Partnership Program funds preservation across Greater Little Rock. To find out more about this program, please click the link below.

    Become a supporting partner of the QQA today!

    How to sell your Arkansas Historic Tax Credits

    Written by Jill Curran

    If you’ve ever earned or been gifted state historic tax credits after a renovation project, you may find yourself with too much of a good thing—income tax credits you cannot use within the required five years. Maybe you know that work on your historic house qualifies for credits every two years, but you don’t apply because you know you can’t spend them all in time. That would be a missed opportunity, because it turns out that selling credits is not only possible, it’s even easier than earning the credits in the first place.

    Recently, my husband and I found ourselves in this situation, after we helped our son buy and save a house in Hillcrest, for which he paid us back by gifting us his $30,000 in state tax credits (30% of his eligible work totaling just over $100,000, the upper limit). The next year we did our own large renovation project and realized we couldn’t spend our total of over $50,000 in credits in five years. What to do?

    We had heard of others selling their historic tax credits, so we dug in and learned all we could. Here are a few tips from our experience selling our credits that we hope will be helpful to others.

    Your first step should be asking the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, who administers the tax credit process, for a list of potential buyers of tax credits. The current list includes five entities:

    1. Bank OZK (Arkansas)

    2. Commerce Bank (Missouri)

    3. Lisart Capital LLC (Missouri)

    4. Fallbrook Financial Services (California)

    5. Clocktower Tax Credits LLC (Massachusetts)

    Any of these banks will work with Arkansas Tax Credit sellers, however, the amount of money they each offer per $1 of credit ranges greatly. Fallbrook offers the lowest at $0.75/$1.00 while the highest current offer of $0.87/$1.00 is at Clocktower. That’s a difference of $3,600 if you’ve got $30,000 of credits to sell! The only Arkansas bank that buys credits, Bank OZK, offers $0.81/$1.00. Going with them would cost you up to $1,800 vs. selling through Clocktower, but we appreciate an Arkansas bank stepping up.

    We also learned that some of the banks on that list buy the credits for themselves, while others act as a go-between for sellers and buyers. This typically won’t affect your process for selling credits. Clocktower, for example, doesn’t buy tax credits; instead they broker the sale of credits across the country, from film production, real estate, and renewable energy. Our credits were actually bought by an insurance company in Illinois who does business, and pays taxes, in Arkansas, with Clocktower arranging the sale for a fee. Most folks we’d talked with who had sold credits in the past had done so to Commerce Bank in Missouri, and they were a very close second in value at $0.86/$1.00.

    The math of a 30% tax credit sold at 87% of its value works out to a little over a 26% refund—a significant savings on a renovation project. However, selling tax credits counts as federally-taxable income. Thankfully, you don’t have to pay state taxes on the sale of state credits. Check all of this with your accountant, because laws change! If you find yourself in the 24% tax bracket, as an example, your final net savings comes to 20% back as cash from your eligible renovation costs. That is significant money in your pocket, and a benefit you can generate every two years as you improve your historic properties. It should be noted that federal tax credits, which can be earned on top of state tax credits from commercial/rental renovations, cannot be sold. Spending them is, however, much easier because we all pay more in federal income tax than we do in state.

    Here are some real numbers from our renovation of a house in Hillcrest that is contributing to its historic district. We earned credits for repairing the foundation and encapsulating the crawl space, repainting nearly everything, rewiring, minor plumbing and HVAC work, refinishing original hardwoods, repairing doors and windows, and numerous other smaller expenses like hauling junk. Landscaping, a new fence, cutting down a tree, rebuilding a stone retaining wall, and kitchen appliances were our non-eligible expenses.  

    $88,000.00

    Total repair cost, approx.

    $73,135.68

    Credit-eligible expenses

    $21,940.70

    State tax credits received (30%)

    $19,088.41

    Credits sold for ($0.87/$1.00)

    $4,581.00

    Federal tax owed

    $14,507.41

    Total we received free and clear

    As you can see, after taxes we pocketed over $14,500 back from about $73,000 worth of work—a 20% refund! It was definitely worth the effort. And because Clocktower handled the paperwork with the state and our buyer, we didn’t have to do much more than sign and scan a few documents and wire them their fee (4%, a little over $877, paid by the seller). We also discovered one very satisfying aspect of selling credits vs. not paying any state income taxes for the next five years (although we enjoy that too)—we had our cash in just nine days. We spent some of that on a bottle of champagne to celebrate saving two more houses in Little Rock, and to dream about renovations to come that will generate even more tax credits we can sell.  

    Jill Curran

    Little Rock