NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of properties deemed worthy of preservation. In Arkansas, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) is charged with the responsibility of nominating to the National Register those properties that meet the necessarily strict requirements. A property (building, structure, object, or site) must be at least 50 years of age and retain as much of its original architectural design and materials as to properly reflect its period of significance. In addition, a property must be significant for one or more of the following criteria: A) association with a significant event or pattern of events in local, state, or national history; B) association with the lives of persons significant in our past whose contributions to local, state, or national history can be identified and documented; C) significant architectural design or method of construction; D) archeological potential to yield information important in prehistory or history. Listing in the National Register is important for a number of reasons in addition to the pride and prestige that comes with this recognition. Technical advice relating to all aspects of restoration, adaptive reuse, and renovation of older structures is available from the AHPP upon request by the owner. Financial incentives, including a 20% investment tax credit, may be available for the rehabilitation of certain commercial, industrial, and residential income-producing properties that have been certified as historic structures. Also, the Tax Treatment Extension Act of 1980 includes provisions regarding donations of conservation easements, which are partial interests of historically important sites or structures. A brochure that describes in greater detail the requirements and effects of listing a property in the National Register of Historic Places is available upon request from the AHPP office . THE NOMINATION PROCESS Below you will find an explanation of the National Register listing process as administrated by the AHPP. I. Determination of Eligibility The enclosed materials include an outline of the information required by the AHPP staff to make a determination of eligibility (DOE). A DOE is the first step in considering a property for listing in the National Register. A thorough and accurate response to this outline will enable the AHPP staff to evaluate the potential eligibility of the property. Once the review is completed (usually within 30 days of receipt), a letter outlining the staff’s determination will be mailed to you. II. Nomination Form After your property has been determined eligible, you will be responsible for completing the National Register nomination form. To assist in this process, the AHPP staff provides two training sessions each year to answer questions and provide instructions on filling out the form. These sessions are held on the fourth Wednesday of April and the Second Wednesday of October at the Tower Building at 323 Center Street in Little Rock. Directions to the tower building and a map will be provided to all who sign up for these sessions, which are free and open to the public. For those who are unable to attend either training session, the AHPP will provide a reading list of the materials explaining how to fill out the National Register form. Constituents also have the option of hiring a contractor to complete their nomination form. A list of qualified contractors is available from the AHPP on request. After the completed nomination form is submitted to the AHPP, it will be edited and returned to you for corrections, if needed. When the National Register form is completed and corrected, the AHPP will notify you in writing and schedule the property for consideration at a future meeting of the State Review Board (SRB). All nominations must be completed and submitted six weeks before the next scheduled meeting of the SRB to be included in that meeting’s agenda. The National Register form is provided on a 3½” disk that is accessible in Word on most computers that utilize the Microsoft operating systems. Please note that the nomination forms provided are in Microsoft Word; users who utilize either WordPerfect or Corel Word may encounter some issues accessing these documents. You may request hard copies of the nomination forms, if need be. The AHPP recommends that you use this disk if possible, since it will streamline the process of correcting the form. III. Site Visit AHPP staff members will contact you to arrange a site visit to the property at a mutually convenient time, after the draft nomination has been received in the AHPP office. The site visit entails the AHPP staff completing both black-and-white and color slide photography of the building, as well as documenting the building’s architectural layout and features. IV. Presentation to the State Review Board Upon acceptance of a completed nomination by the specified deadline, the staff will schedule the property for presentation to the SRB. The SRB is a governor-appointed group of eleven professionals that must approve the staff’s recommendations before the nomination can be forwarded to the National Register office in Washington, D.C. The staff will prepare a short (usually five to ten minutes in length) presentation with color slides of the property for the SRB meeting. The applicant will receive a notification letter one month prior to the date of this meeting informing him/her of the location and approximate time of day that the property will be presented. Attendance by the applicant is encouraged but voluntary. V. Preparation of Final Nomination Form and Listing After approval by the SRB, the AHPP staff prepares the final nomination, including any changes requested by the board, provided the nomination was submitted on a computer disk (if not on disk, the constituent will be responsible for making any need corrections to the final form). The nomination is then forwarded to the National Register office of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. A determination will be made by their staff within 45 days of receipt of the nomination. Once official notification of listing is received, the AHPP will notify the applicant of the decision by letter. Upon request, the AHPP can provide owners of listed properties with a Certificate of Listing that is signed by the governor and state historic preservation officer. The AHPP does not automatically provide plaques; however, information on ordering a plaque is available upon request. If you have any questions regarding the National Register nomination process, please contact National Register staff, AHPP, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone: (501) 324-9880 {TDD (501) 324-9811], or send e-mail to info@arkansaspreservation.org. INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILTY All responses must be typed on separate sheets of paper. Do not write answers on this questionnaire. An example of a completed response is included. FOR BUILDINGS: Photographs: Provide high quality color or black-and-white prints of 35-mm. or comparable quality (no digital images or Polaroid "instant" prints, please) of each elevation (side) of the property along with representative views of the interior. If available, please provide a copy of a historic photograph of the building. Please note that your submission can not be reviewed without the requested photographs. 1. Historic Name: Enter the name that best reflects the property's historic importance or was commonly used historically. For residential properties, this will often be the name of the first owner(s). examples: Rice, James A., House; Jackson-Herget House; House at 203 Rock St. (if no historic name is known). 2. Address: List the street address, town, and zip code for nominated property. For rural properties without an address, please provide clear directions to the property and list the nearest town or community. 3. Owner and Mailing Address/Phone Number 4. Nominator and Mailing Address/Phone Number (if person other than owner): 5. Does Nominator Have Owner's Permission? Yes or No 6. Construction Date: Provide the known or approximate construction date of the building(s). 7. Craftspersons: List any craftspersons (such as architects, builders, carpenters, masons or stonemasons, carvers, etc.) known to have been involved in the construction of the building(s). 8. Alterations: List all known or suspected alterations to the nominated property. Include dates if known. 9. Significant Features: List any significant exterior or interior features (especially those not shown in the submitted photographs). 10. Are There Similar Houses in Your Neighborhood/Community? If so, describe the similarities or differences in comparison with your property. 11. Number, Type, and Location of Outbuildings: Identify and describe any remaining significant outbuildings (carriage house/garage, smokehouse, barn, privy, etc.). Include construction dates if known. 12. History of Property: In a narrative form, provide a history of the town/community/area of which this property was historically associated. Identify the historic occupants of the structures and their occupation, to the greatest degree possible, and note their contributions to the development of the community. County libraries, historical societies, published local histories, the Arkansas History Commission, the County Courthouse, and descendants/relatives of the historic occupants of the property are good sources for property-specific historical information. 13. Bibliography: List the sources of information used in writing the history of the property. Identify the name of books, newspapers, journals, public records, deeds, correspondence, interviews, and other sources. Include dates and use a standard bibliographical style. 14. Legal Property Description: Provide the legal property description as listed on the deed itself (available at the county courthouse and/or from a deed abstract). Include the size and/or acreage of the property. 15. Reference Number: Please include the following reference number on your application: Bldg-1998. SAMPLE—Please use as a guide for format and information presentation Determination of Eligibility 1. Historic Name: Railroad Cottage 2. Address: 100 Jane Street Gentry, AR 70000 3. Owner: Ben and Ann Jones P.0. Box 100 Gentry, AR 70000 (479) 555-1411 4. Nominator: Joan Smith 1000 Johnson Road Gentry, AR 70000 Phone: (479) 555-1212 5. Does Nominator Have Owner’s Permission: Yes (or No) (Please keep in mind that a property cannot be nominated to the National Register without owner’s permission) 6. Construction Date: ca. 1900 7. Crafts persons: Unknown 8. Alterations: Exterior Demolition of a condemned house at 100 Jane Street in Gentry was in progress in 1997 when a ca. 1900 historic house was revealed. The entire structure had been encased with composition siding. Under this camouflage, a gable front and wing Folk Victorian structure remained on its original continuous brick foundation. Additions made in the 1960s were easily identified and removed. The original wood shake shingles existed under layers of composition shingles. All layers of shingles were removed. The original roof framing is intact except for minor replacement of nailing boards. A brick chimney face existed originally but was removed at an unknown date. New shingles are textured composition shingles replicating the appearance of wood shake shingles. The west (front) elevation retains its original horizontally lapped siding, windows, window trim, doors and door trim. The original porch that was inset within the L of the front gable and wing had been removed. A cement porch floor bearing a date of 1938 later became a deck, probably in association with the1960s renovations. The cement porch flooring has been retained as the cement encased the original brick foundation of the house. A covered porch was reconstructed with turned spindle porch supports replicating the porch support profiles found on the original siding. The porch features two original doorway openings with their original doors, hinges, and trim. The original porch balustrade was not documented. A jigsaw balustrade was added using a jigsaw balustrade pattern from a front gable and wing house with similar porch supports in the area. The west (front) elevation features three original windows and original window trim. All are two-over-two, double-hung, fixed upper sash windows. One single window is off-centered to the south on the wing under the porch. The front gable features two paired windows with decorative crowns. The same crown adorns the porch window and all other exterior windows of the house. The east (rear) elevation had experienced several alterations in the historic period and in the 1960s. Fortunately, the original rafters and brick foundation for the original porch that was inset within the rear gable and wing had been left intact. This enabled a reconstruction of a porch with its original dimensions. An original window that was centered on the rear gable had been relocated in the non-historic addition. This window was returned to its original location once the addition was removed. In addition to the 1960s alterations a three-window bay had been added to the south elevation and enclosed a capped cistern located adjacent to the south exterior wall. This window bay alteration occurred at an unknown date during the historic period. An original two-over-two, fixed upper sash window from the north elevation had been relocated to this bay. The bay has been eliminated to restore the original footprint of the house and a single one-over-one period window has been installed. The original window that had been relocated to this bay was returned to its original location on the north elevation. The capped cistern has been covered with foundation landscaping. The north elevation has been returned to its original presentation except for a 1960s bathroom window alteration that was left in place. The small single-sash fixed window had been centered between the original two-over-two double-hung windows. This window opening is filled with a stained-glass window of contemporary design so as not to be mistaken for an original stained-glass window. It has been topped with a crown in the same design as the original window crowns. Interior The only alteration to the original floor plan was the addition of the ca. 1960s bathroom between the kitchen and parlor. The bathroom has been relocated to the south wall of the main gable section of the house to recreate a floor plan with the kitchen and parlor adjoining. A central heating and air conditioning system has been installed. 9. Significant Features: The house retains much of its original horizontally lapped siding. It retains all of its original two-over-two double-hung fixed upper sash windows with the exception of the window on the wing gable of the south elevation. The original windows are topped with decorative hand-crafted crowns. The two doors opening into the west (front) porch are also original to the house. The original paint scheme has been determined by microscopic analysis and the house painted with those colors. One significant exterior treatment is the use of quarter-round trim applied with undecorated corner boards, creating round corners. This distinguishing construction feature is noted in other historic structures of the same time period in Gentry. While the interior window and door trim is undecorated, microscopic analysis of the original paint schemes has revealed that a vivid interior treatment was achieved using paints and wallpaper. The plastered walls and ceilings of the interior have been covered with papers matching the originals as closely as possible in design and color with all trim painted according to the carefully documented original paint scheme. 10. Are there similar houses in the neighborhood? No. A few small houses of a variety of styles exist in Gentry from the ca. 1900 time period but most have extensive alterations from their original appearances. A number of historic houses feature the same rounded corner construction detail described in “Significant Features,” but they are not of the same style as the Railroad Cottage. 11. Number, Type, and Location of Outbuildings: Two historic outbuildings are aligned along the southern property line to the rear of the house. A ca. 1940s single-story, side-gabled stone garage with original doors opens onto the gable end. It was accessed in the past by a driveway entering from Jane Street and running along the south property line. It is covered by composition shingles. Behind the garage is a single-story side-gabled frame building that may date to the initial ca. 1900 construction period. It may have served as a summer kitchen. 12. History of Property: The town of Gentry, intersected by State Highway 59 and 264, is situated along the western border of Benton County. The county itself is located in the extreme northwestern corner of Arkansas and is bounded on the north by Missouri and on the west by Oklahoma. Benton County was established as the state’s thirty-fourth county on September 30, 1836, the same day that Arkansas became a state. The county was renamed in honor of Missouri’s U. S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton who had led a strong campaign to secure statehood for Arkansas. The site of Benton County is a plateau of the Ozark Mountains with elevations of the land ranging from 1,400 feet to 1,600 feet. The soils are well suited to diversified agriculture with numerous waterways and springs. Its greatest advantage in the latter part of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, when the Railroad Cottage was built, was its complete adaptability to horticulture with apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and other small fruits grown in abundance in the county. At that time it acquired the title of “Apple Orchard of America.” From the time of the first settlement of Benton County in the 1830s, the population increased only gradually until 1880. In that year the first railroad through the county, the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, was completed. National advertisements stating that the region was “unexcelled in the United States for growing all kinds of fruit” brought an influx of immigrants into the county. In the 1890s, Arthur E. Stillwell original the Kansas City-Pittsburg and Gulf Railway starting at Kansas City, Missouri, with the intent of extending it to the Gulf of Mexico. Settlement of the town of Gentry began in 1894 with the arrival of the railroad. It became the residential and financial center for a vast fruit-growing industry. Indeed, for a short time, it was called Orchard but was incorporated as Gentry in 1898. The town was renamed in honor of the president of the railroad. The name of the railroad was changed to Kansas City Southern in April 1, 1900. By 1903, Gentry had a population of 1,000 people. Gentry was surrounded by fruit farms from the large apple growers to the small berry growers. The industries of the town included shipping, evaporating, and canning of fruits as well as tourism. The railroad gave rise to a brick depot that was considered one of the finest of the Kansas City Southern line. Numerous merchants in Benton County relocated to Gentry and several banks and hotels were established. An academy with a thirteen-room dormitory was erected by the 1920s. Gentry’s Apple Blossom Festival was one of the largest events in the state in the mid-1920s. Much of the land surrounding Gentry, known as Ozark Orchard, was owned and developed by a bank in Kansas City, Missouri. Small tenant and employee’s houses for farm laborers and railroad workers were built in Gentry. These houses usually consisted of three rooms according to the local history recorded in Happenings in Gentry, 1894 to 1976. Eventually, many of the orchards were divided into tracts and sold to individuals who transformed the lands from orchards to general farming. The railroad hauled cattle to market in Kansas City as well as the fruit produce. Gentry remains primarily an agricultural center today. The modest three-room house at 100 Jane Street is one of the houses built during the early years of Gentry’s growth as a fruit growing center. While modest in architectural features, an analysis of the original interior and exterior decorative schemes conducted by the arts conservator and home owner, Ben Jones, reveals that the house was alive with color. Not only does this structure represent the initial economic history associated with the establishment of the town of Gentry, it also is an example of the changes the arrival of the railroad brought to the area’s built culture. While previously this isolated rural area of Arkansas relied on locally produced building materials, the railroad brought lumber, building materials, and new building styles from distant areas. The paints and wallpapers used in the Railroad Cottage would have arrived by rail also. The railroad workers unloaded these building materials from arriving trains, then loaded them with produce to haul on to other markets. Local lumber yards were created in towns all along the rail lines. The Roush Lumber Company in Gentry was established in 1903 to meet the construction needs fostered by the fruit growing industry. This lumber yard exists in the same location today and is owned by the Jones family who purchased the business in 1945 from the J. P. Roush estate. Some of the original 1903 sales records still exist. In 1997 Ben and Ann Jones purchased Lots 9 and 10 in Block 15 of the city of Gentry for the purpose of building an office for Ben Jones’ arts conservation business. Joneses had grown up in the house adjoining the property to the south in the same block. The Joneses had commissioned drawings of a new structure that they planned to construct on Lots 9 and 10. The city had condemned the house that existed on the lots. Demolition of the house was in progress when the Joneses realized that inside the ca. 1960s additions and composition siding existed a nearly intact Folk Victorian Cottage on its original foundation. After assessing their find, they carefully removed the non-historic additions, documented the historic changes to the structure, and made plans to restore the historic house instead of moving or altering it. By the history in the abstract of the property, they learned that Lots 9 and 10, Block 15 were purchased prior to 1898 by the Philadelphia Construction Company. By February 1898, the lots were sold by this company for the consideration of $1.00. These companies were obviously associated with the railroad company’s development of Gentry. Once the historic house was exposed, the Joneses learned that the appropriate name of Railroad Cottage was associated with their newly found historic house, and they chose to retain that name for the house. Jones, who has had an arts conservation business since 1975, is highly experienced in evaluating and documenting historic materials. He is a graduate of John Brown University in the neighboring town of Siloam Springs, Benton County. His conservation education was through the Smithsonian Institution’s Furniture Conservation Training Program where he continues to teach in that program as well as conduct his private arts conservation business, Jones Restoration and Conservation, in Gentry. He has served as chairman of the American Institute for Conservation’s Wooden Artifact Group. He has published numerous papers and articles on arts conservation. His careful documentation of the Railroad Cottage, which serves as his office, makes a significant contribution to the accurate interpretation of the construction and decorative treatment of modest houses built at the end of the nineteenth century. 13. Bibliography: U. S. Census, 1900: Benton County, Arkansas. Benton County Heritage Committee. History of Benton County, Arkansas. Rogers, AR: 1991. Black, J. Dickson. History of Benton County. Little Rock: International Graphics Industries, 1975. Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1889. Gentry American Revolutionary Bicentennial Committee. Happenings in Gentry, 1894-1976. Siloam Springs: Siloam Springs Printing, 1994. McAlester, Virginia and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. 14. Legal Property Description: Lots 9 and 10 in Block 15, Section 10, Township 18 (Please note: This is readily found at the county courthouse in the Tax Assessor’s office, if the information is on file. If the Assessor’s office does not have the information, usually it can be found from the title company or attorney who performed the title search, or from the property owner him/herself. If you still cannot find the information, please simply provide the Section/Township/Range information.) 15. Reference Number: Bldg-1998 NOTE If you have any questions regarding the National Register and nomination process, please do not hesitate to contact the National Register Staff, AHPP, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, phone: (501) 324-9880. TDD (501) 324-9811. E-mail: info@arkansaspreservation.org ?? ?? ?? ?? ARKANSAS HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM 1500 Tower Building * 323 Center * Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 * Phone (501) 324-9880 Fax (501) 324-9184 * TDD (501) 324-9811 A Division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage