Getty Foundation Awards Heritage Grant

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas won a Campus Heritage grant from the Getty Foundation of Los Angeles for $170,000 to develop a heritage preservation plan for the Fayetteville campus.

With Getty support, the university will create a preservation master plan that will address planning needs and improve stewardship and preservation across campus. The work funded by the grant will provide an opportunity for the university to hire preservation consultants to develop a comprehensive strategy for long-range planning and management of its historic resources as it plans for future development. In addition, the university will develop nominations of additional campus buildings to the National Register of Historic Places, making further strides in protecting and preserving its historic buildings. The grant will also allow for training maintenance personnel to identify appropriate treatment guidelines. The 16-month project will conclude with a public lecture to present the preservation master plan and its strategies and recommendations.  

“We are excited about having a plan that will set priorities for campus preservation efforts while also providing training in proper maintenance techniques for our labor force,” said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities. “The preservation master plan will also be a key element of the growing sustainability initiatives on our campus.”

Since 2002, through its Campus Heritage Initiative, the Getty Foundation has awarded grants to 86 colleges and universities for preservation planning, as well as funding surveys of hundreds of small liberal arts colleges. These grants have played a catalytic role in helping institutions of higher education understand the significance of their historic resources on their campuses and plan for their long-term preservation. The current round of grants represents the final year of the initiative.

“American colleges and universities are frequently unique repositories of some of the country’s finest historic architecture and designed landscapes,” said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. “While other buildings may have had a variety of owners and uses over the years, campus buildings have for the most part remained under the same stewardship, which presents wonderful opportunities for preservation and education.”

Campus Heritage grants reflect the Getty Foundation’s emphasis on thorough planning to ensure thoughtful and successful historic preservation. “Over the past six years, we have been pleased to assist colleges and universities as they make plans to care for, maintain, and preserve their important historic resources,” said Marrow. “We look forward to learning about the results of these grants in the coming years.”

Currently, 11 buildings on the University of Arkansas campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.