Preservers of state’s story recognized by nonprofit
Arkansas Preservation Awards were held Jan. 17 at the Governor’s Mansion.
The sold-out event began with a reception followed by dinner and a welcome by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Joe David Rice was the master of ceremonies for the awards program with John P. Gill receiving the Parker Westbrook Award for Life Time Achievement.
Other awards presented were Excellence in Heritage Preservation Award, Tontitown Oral History Project; Excellence in Preservation through Rehabilitation Award, Hotel Hale in Hot Springs; Excellence in Preservation through Restoration Award, Taylor House at Hollywood Plantation in Tillar; Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Education Award, City of Little Rock; and the Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Advocacy Award, William Hawkins and Dr. John Wheeler of Camden.
Also presented were the Ned Shank Award for Outstanding Preservation Publication Award, Images of America: Cane Hill; Excellence in Personal Projects Award, Michael Gillihan; Outstanding Achievement in Adaptive Reuse Award — Large Scale Development, The Paint Factory; Outstanding Achievement in Adaptive Reuse Award — Small Scale Development, Bark Bar; Outstanding Preservation Reporting in the Media Award, Tia Lyons of the El Dorado News-Times; and the Outstanding New Construction in a Historic Setting Award, Robinson Center Renovation and Expansion.
The annual event is hosted by Preserve Arkansas which advocates for the preservation of Arkansas’s historic places. Mason Ellis is the nonprofit’s board president.