Webb House renovation organizers celebrate progress of project
Significant progress has been made in the ongoing effort to restore the former John Lee Webb house, and about 20 of those involved in the project gathered at Legacy Fine Arts last week “to celebrate each other” and their success so far.
Work on the roof was completed June 1 and work on the windows began June 19 with Jason Sorters, of Sorters Construction, working through a Community Development Block Grant received by People Helping Others Excel by Example, or P.H.O.E.B.E., which is spearheading the project. The plan is to renovate the home, located at 403 Pleasant St., into a community resource center and museum of local African-American history.
“Raising funds is a constant with a nonprofit, so when peo- ple come along and want to help, you must celebrate them,” Cheryl Batts, president and founder of P.H.O.E.B.E., said in a news release.
Among those recognized at the event was Teressa Nevels, owner of Inheritance 111.com, “for the job she has done as the fashion director for the past two years with The Uzuri Project Youth Institute Emerging Leaders.” Two fashion shows were held in 2016 and again this year to help raise funds for the Webb house project.
Batts noted they wanted “to let her know that we realize that she has created these fashion shows that would not break the bank for the parents” using “age-appropriate, beautiful, creative make up and certainly a heart to make sure these young people hear what is right and wrong. And we all love her for that,” the release said.
They also honored Connie Lacy, one of P.H.O.E.B.E.’s board members, who was just promoted to human resources manager at a local hotel.
“We celebrate this juncture in her life, watching her over the past 20 years in the hospitality area, we know that she must access people and their strengths and weaknesses in a short period of time and move not always quickly, but with certainty in every situation,” Batts said.
Also on hand was Patricia mPata Washington-McGraw, owner/curator of the Washington Heritage House in Little Rock, who shared history of the house, which is located directly across the street from Central High School and was featured in a photograph that went worldwide during that time in Arkansas history.
“After so many years, the house was in need of care and none other than Kwendeche, FAIA, our next honoree was the architect in charge of that restoration,” Batts said. Washington-McGraw shared the before and after pictures and then presented Kwendeche with a carving that had been done by her mother, M. Washington, who was an artist and great educator in the history of Little Rock.
Kwendeche, a Little Rock native, who is overseeing the restoration of the Webb house, was recently elevated to fellowship status with the American Institute of Architects. He is the second African-American architect from the state of Arkansas to receive the honor. His mentor at Howard University, Anthony F. Johns Jr., of Texarkana, was the first to be honored in 1994.
“AIA Fellows are recognized with the AIA’s highest membership honor for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society.” Annually, of the 90,000 members of the AIA, over 150 are elevated to the College of Fellows, whose current membership totals 3,200.
“I had many letters sent in for my nomination, none of which I saw,” Kwendeche said, “but I believe that the letter from P.H.O.E.B.E. was the turning point. The work that we are doing on the John Lee Webb house will be a contribution to heritage tourism for the city of Hot Springs and our state and I am very proud of that.”