As work progresses on a project to repair and improve the outer appearance of a gateway building within the city's commercial historic district, the property owner is preparing to launch another project at a prominent building within the district.
In September, the El Dorado Historic District Commission approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for the improvement project at 215 - 217 E. Main.
The commercial building, located on the corner of East Main and Hill Avenue, is historically known as the (Social) Security Building.
The building has been vacant for several years.
Originally the Ritz Theater, the building most recently housed Pat's Glass and Collectibles.
COAs are required for most exterior projects within the commercial historic district.
Blake Dunn, of CADM Architecture, Inc., presented the COA request on behalf of property owner Pete Dunn (no relation), a Virginia-based real estate developer who has familial ties to Union County and owns several downtown properties, including the Armstrong building, which houses PJ's Coffee, and the El Dorado Federal Center, the former home of the local U.S. Postal Service.
The work that was proposed by Blake in September changed the terms of a COA that was previously approved for the Security Building, marking the fourth COA request that has been submitted for the building within the past six years.
In January of 2016, the EHDC approved a COA to convert the building into a mixed-use facility, with plans for commercial and retail development.
However, nearly two years later, Blake explained that a structural analysis showed that improvements that would have to be made to the building were not feasible for such a project.
With the addition of the residential units, the building would have to meet applicable building and fire codes, Blake said.
He said the masonry wall, which is shielded by a brick slipcover, was deteriorating and was not reinforced.
"We would have to put in a steel, structural skeleton for the interior. It would have made rehabilitation impractical and unfeasible," Blake told EHDC members during a regular commission meeting in December of 2017.
He said that while Pete had decided not to pursue the project, the planned use for the building remained the same.
During the same meeting, Blake presented and commissioners signed off on two COA requests, one for demolition and the other, new construction.
The existing building was to have been razed and a new, three-story building was to have been constructed in its place, with plans for a mix of commercial and residential space.
Dubbed "Lofts on Main", the proposed project called for 2,500 square feet of first-floor retail space and five extended-stay, corporate units on the second and third floors.
The building and fire suppression systems would have taken up 500 square feet, Blake said at the time.
Another iteration
The project has since taken on another iteration, with Blake explaining to historic district commissioners on Sept. 8 that after further analysis on the building, the idea for residential development was scrapped.
"I think that's not going to happen. The building was too small to support the number of units that would make it feasible," Blake said.
He later told the News-Times that Pete is considering leasing the upper floors for office space, noting that the street-level portion of the building is the primary focus in the development project.
The EHDC's concern is the building's exterior and with no prospective tenants at this point, so is Pete's, said Blake.
"He really doesn't want to do anything to it until he knows what the needs are, so essentially, a facelift is what we're doing," explained Blake. "That's what the historic district commission approved."
"He recognizes that it's a gateway to the downtown area and he wanted to improve the appearance," Blake continued.
The most recent COA calls for a spruce-up of the building's exterior, including power-washing and cleaning the brick; removing the doors and windows and replacing them with wood and glass, storefront windows and doors; and installing new canvas awnings that will cover the storefront windows and doors and wrap the corner of the building.
Of the door and window replacements, Blake noted, "They're going to be similar to virtually every other building in the historic district and they will be painted also."
The work also includes a safety component.
A screened wall will be installed around the fire escape on the southern facade (back) of the building to prevent people from climbing onto the roof, a recurring problem that has been reported at some downtown buildings.
The EHDC discussed the matter earlier this year, saying that the El Dorado Police Department has been notified about the matter.
"There have been a couple of instances where people have climbed up there and jumped on the roof of the adjacent building but this will stop that," said Blake. "It's going to be corrugated, perforated screening with a metal panel, a gate there to secure it -- similar to the screening you see at the MAD Amphitheater," he added, referring to the entertainment that is two blocks south of the Security Building.
Commissioner Diane Murfee asked if the brick will continue to deteriorate at the Security Building.
Blake said the brick slipcover protects the masonry wall and the existing damage was primarily caused by freeze-thaw cycles.
"The brick that is behind it is not in great shape. Those are the original walls. As long as we don't let water get into the cavity of that brick, there will be no further deterioration," explained Blake.
He also said the roof membrane is in good condition and minor, structural repairs are planned for the roof "to keep the building safe and warm for a potential new tenant.
Blake told historic district commissioners that Pete and local contractor Gary Johnson were raring to go to complete as much of the painting as possible by MusicFest, which was held Oct. 7 and 8 in downtown El Dorado.
Work began almost immediately after the COA was signed on Sept. 8.
"In fact, he got started before I got the COA in hand," Blake said with a laugh.
Once a COA is approved, the EHDC issues a signed certificate for the applicant to display at the project site so that the city is aware that the work has been vetted and endorsed by commissioners.
Blake said progress on the project has since slowed due to ongoing supply chain issues that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by other factors, including a reduction in barge traffic along the Mississippi River.
River levels have reportedly dropped to record lows in some areas because of drought conditions.
Blake said he hopes crews are able to complete the project before the end of the year.
"I really don't know. Right now, in the construction world, delivery of materials is the biggest issue," he said, adding that lumber has the longest lead time and is a priority right now.
Federal building
In the meantime, Blake is preparing to present another COA request for a project that is planned for the El Dorado Federal Center, 101 N. Jackson.
The center houses the El Dorado Division of the U.S. Marshals Service and the interior spaces occupied by the USMS are scattered about the building.
"The (USMS) is consolidating all of its spaces onto the lower levels because they are spread out in different locations in the building," Blake said.
He explained that the available space within the EFC does not satisfy the programmed square footage that is specified by the USMS and the U.S. General Services Administration.
As a part of the relocation of the USMS administrative offices and prisoner detention area, Pete is asking for the EHDC's stamp of approval to create a secured, vehicle sallyport in the rear parking lot of the federal center and to enclose a portion of the loading dock to comply with federal square-footage specs.
The sallyport is required by the USMS to transport defendants to court and if the EHDC approves the COA, a portion of the parking lot, just east of the loading dock, will be enclosed with high-security palisade fencing.
Blake said the fencing will be identical to fencing that was installed when similar security measures were implemented at the EFC in 2018.
At the time, the EHDC approved a COA enclose a small portion on the south end of the loading dock to provide a secure access route for U.S. District Court, Western District, staff members.
"It's going to look just like the security fencing we did back there five years ago, just smaller," explained Blake.
The COA application has already been submitted to the EHDC and will be reviewed during the commission's next meeting at noon on Thursday.
Commission of the Year
The EHDC is continuing to celebrate its 2022 "Commission of the Year" award, which designates the group as the top historic district commission in the country.
The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions announced the win in July during an awards ceremony at its 2022 national forum in Cincinnati.
Commissioners learned last spring that the EHDC had been nominated as the "Commission of the Year," one of several categories in the NAPC's Commission Excellence Awards program.
The Lakota Group -- an Illinois-based urban planning and design firm which drafted the city's comprehensive historic preservation plan, a first for the city of El Dorado, in 2020 -- submitted the nomination to the NAPC.
EHDC Commissioner Sara Coffman picked up the hardware in September from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program in Little Rock, who accepted the award on behalf of the EHDC during the NAPC forum.
Prior to Coffman's traveling to Little Rock, commissioners had only seen a photo of the framed certificate.