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There are places across Arkansas that have almost disappeared. Buildings left silent for decades. Homes with stories fading into the background. Structures marked for demolition, their purpose seemingly at an end.
And then someone stepped in.
Across the state, preservationists, developers, nonprofits and neighbors are doing exactly that. Through partnerships with Preserve Arkansas and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, community leaders, developers and business owners are finding ways to protect what matters, and in the process, they’re giving back to all of us.
When a place is saved, it becomes more than restored; it becomes a gift.
6 Recent Arkansas Preservation Success Stories
The Flats at SoMa | Little Rock
For decades, the former Veterans Affairs hospital in Little Rock stood mostly empty after the hospital moved across town to provide greater access to teaching opportunities.
Built between 1948 and 1950, the massive structure once served thousands of Arkansans before closing in the 1980s. Afterward, it lingered, partially used and mostly forgotten, a half-million square feet of potential left idle.
Today, it tells a different story. Known as the Flats at SoMa, the building has been transformed into more than 200 apartments, along with shared spaces that have brought daily life back to its halls. A place once designed for care has been reimagined for community for an emerging age group ready to live life together and give back.
That transformation did not happen by accident. It required historic designation, layered tax-credit programs, a creative developer, cooperation from local government leaders and a willingness to navigate a complicated system designed to make preservation possible.
The result is more than a successful redevelopment. It is momentum, with additional projects on the horizon.
Located at the southern edge of the SoMa district, the Flats help anchor a neighborhood that continues to grow, with restaurants, shops and a walkable vibe. More residents mean more life on the streets, more reasons to linger and more reasons to explore.
Latimore Tourist Home | Russellville
Some places hold stories that cannot be replaced. They are deeply entwined with ambition and emotion, carrying a weight we can hardly describe. The Latimore Tourist Home is among them.
First appearing on maps in the early 1900s, the home became a safe haven for Black travelers during segregation. Listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book, it offered meals, rest and refuge when such amenities were not guaranteed. The Latimore home was the only safe place listed between Little Rock and Fort Smith for meals or lodging for Black motorists.
For decades, it stood as a quiet witness to history. Then, like many historic structures, it began to deteriorate with time and abandonment. By 2018, it had been named one of Arkansas’s most endangered properties.
But a coalition of local leaders, volunteers, and a newly formed nonprofit stepped in. In 2022, the home was carefully relocated to preserve it, a delicate and symbolic act that ensured its story would not be lost.
Today, restoration is still underway, fueled by grants, donations and community commitment. It is not yet finished, and that is part of what makes it meaningful.
This is not just about saving a structure. It is about preserving a lived experience that helps future generations understand what travel, safety and resilience meant in a different era.
Perry Rock Island Railroad Depot | Perry
At one point, the Perry Rock Island Depot was days away from demolition. Built around 1918, it once served as a hub for passengers and mail on a busy rail line. Over time, it was repurposed for storage, abandoned and nearly erased entirely.
About 150 feet made the difference between loss and possibility, and the depot was moved. The City of Perry donated a tract of land to allow the depot to relocate and avoid demolition, as the rail line decided to expand its footprint and build a machine repair shop alongside its offices.
That move, completed with the help of local leaders, the Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society, and preservation partners, marked a turning point. Grants were secured, repairs began and volunteers stepped in.
Today, restoration continues, with plans to reopen the depot as a museum and community gathering space. But the city’s protection and preservation of the historic property saved the only remaining wood-framed depot on the Rock Island rail line in Arkansas.
It is a reminder that sometimes preservation is not about returning something to exactly what it was; sometimes it is about giving it a future.
The Adler Building | Batesville
Built in the 1880s, the Adler Building witnessed generations pass through its doors. It served as a commercial hub, even an opera house, before falling into disrepair.
Then part of it collapsed, leaving it condemned and unstable. It could have been cleared and replaced … instead, it was rebuilt.
Through a combination of historic tax credits, investment, and careful restoration, the Adler Building reopened as a mixed-use space with loft apartments and commercial storefronts.
Inside, pieces of the original building remain, including woodwork, staircases and details that connect present-day visitors to its past.
Outside, it does something just as important: it brings people back to Main Street.
The Waters Hotel | Hot Springs
Across from Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, a 1913 building that once housed doctors’ offices now welcomes guests from around the country for a boutique overnight stay near Hot Springs National Park.
The Waters Hotel, formerly the Thompson Building, exemplifies meticulous restoration.
More than a century ago, visitors came to Hot Springs to seek healing in the thermal waters. They would cross the street from the bathhouses to consult physicians in this very building to support their healing.
Over time, the upper floors closed. The building aged, and its future grew uncertain. What to do with an aging, multistoried historic building in a heavily trafficked tourist district? Then came the decision to restore rather than replace.
Original tile floors, transoms, marble and woodwork were preserved and repaired by craftsmen and the developers themselves. Family members’ sweat equity literally and figuratively changed the value of the restoration!
Modern comforts were added without compromising the building’s character. Individual offices were converted into bedroom studios and suites, leaving the floors, corridor entrances and the marble staircase for guests to enjoy. The rooftop bar and back patio offer unique glimpses of original finishes and provide remodeled access to meet today’s travelers’ needs.
Carnegie Library | Eureka Springs
In Eureka Springs, preservation is not just about buildings and history; it is about teaching people how to save them and equipping them for future projects. Preservation is a long-term endeavor!
At the historic Carnegie Library, restoration has become a community effort. Through hands-on workshops and preservation “boot camps,” volunteers learn to repair historic windows and care for aging structures.
Participants in the Preservation Bootcamps take what they learn and apply it across the community, restoring buildings one project at a time. The process builds more than repaired spaces. It also builds relationships, confidence, and shared ownership of the town’s history.
This style of preservation as participation ensures the work endures.
Keeping it Going
Not every historic building will be saved, but many can be preserved.
Each year, Preserve Arkansas releases a list of the state’s most endangered properties, places at risk yet not without hope. These lists are not merely warnings; they are deliberate invitations that pose a simple question – “What could this place become if someone stepped in?”
With historic tax credits, grant programs, and community support, many of these stories are already being rewritten throughout Arkansas.
Reader Challenge: The next time you walk into a historic building, pause for a moment.
Look at the floors. The windows. The details that feel as if they have always been there. Someone decided to keep that place alive.
And now, YOU get to experience it firsthand.
Follow along for more Arkansas preservation success stories:
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program – Website | Facebook
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