Preserving What’s Ours: Arkansas’

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“The Architecture and Landscapes of Arkansas: A Heritage of Distinction”

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Special Collections Department of the University of Arkansas Libraries and the UA School of Architecture are hosting a conference titled “The Architecture and Landscapes of Arkansas: A Heritage of Distinction” on March 2 at the UA Continuing Education Center in downtown Fayetteville.

Richard Longstreth, director of the graduate program in historic preservation at George Washington University, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. Other speakers will be Charles Witsell, award-winning Little Rock architect with more than 37 years experience in historic preservation, Harriet Jansma, former editor of Magnolia, the journal of the Southern Garden History Society, and Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, UA professor of architecture.

Session topics will include historic preservation in Arkansas, Arkansas landscape history, preserving the historical record of architecture and landscapes, and Arkansas-born architects Edward Durrell Stone and Fay Jones. The conference will be capped by an evening banquet focused around a tribute to Cyrus A. Sutherland, professor emeritus of architecture. Sutherland joined the School of Architecture faculty in 1968 and was instrumental in saving and preserving some 40 historically significant buildings in Arkansas, including such Fayetteville landmarks as Headquarters House, the Walker Stone House, the Old Post Office and Old Main.

Speaking at the banquet will be School of Architecture alumni Leslie Belden, historic preservationist and Fayetteville Presbyterian minister; Tommy Jameson, veteran preservation architect in Little Rock; and John Mott, director of the architecture and historic preservation department of John Milner Associate Inc. of Alexandria, Va.

Jeff Shannon, dean of the School of Architecture, urged a large turnout to honor Sutherland: “Cy Sutherland is indeed the father of historic preservation in Arkansas, and has mentored a number of architects with preservation interests. I hope every student of Cy’s will be present to honor this great leader.”

Tom W. Dillard, head of Special Collections and organizer of the conference, said, “Arkansans can take pride in the incredible number and variety of historic buildings in our state. This conference will give us the opportunity to celebrate that heritage while at the same time train a new generation of Arkansans to carry on the work of preservation."

Registration for the day-long conference, including two receptions and lunch, is $45 per person. Registration for the evening banquet and tribute to Cyrus Sutherland is separate and is $30 per person. Students qualify for a reduced registration.

To register or for more information, call the UA Libraries’ Special Collections Department at (479) 575-5577, or send an e-mail to Tom W. Dillard at tdillar@uark.edu.