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.