Rector, Arkansas

The Rector Downtown Historic District designation is well underway, after a team from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, (AHPP),  from the Department of Arkansas Heritage in Little Rock, came to Rector in March to evaluate the structures in Rector's downtown district.  It was deemed that thirty buildings out of the forty-six were considered "contributing", meaning that they qualified, for historic disignation.  Then in June, Mark Christ, Community Outreach Director, and Tom Marr, Rehabiliataion Tax Credit Coordinator from the AHPP, came to Rector to hold a public meeting to provide first hand information and offer a question and answer forum concerning the facts of becoming a town registerd with the National Register of Historic Places.  The biggest misconception that was dispelled is the false notion that the government mandates restrictions on the property and to the property owner.  This is just not so.  However, the only time that any codes apply is if #1: The property owner has benefited from any federal grant money eligible for non-profit organizations, or #2: If the property owner has taken advantage of the 20% tax credit "for the substantial rehabilitation of certified historic buildings for commercial, industrial and rental residential purposes." 

Letters were sent to the property owners in the proposed historic district, in June, and a time frame of three weeks was given for any objections to the proposal.  Since no objections have been voiced, the AHPP has been contacted to go ahead with the plans.  It could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to complete the process, since history and photographs for each building will be accrued, at no expense to the community, and petition made to the National Register of Historic Places.

This is all a very exciting time for Rector in many ways.  Becoming registered as a National Historic site usually means an increase in property values, heritage tourism, grant possibilities for buildings owned by local government or non-profit organizations, and the prestige of having a National Register historic district.

Updates will be provided when available.

For more information please click  www.arkansaspreservation.org