SPRINGDALE — Emma Avenue is bookended by two buildings in serious disrepair.
The Apollo Theater to the west and the Jeff Brown Building to the east have been tagged by city officials as unsafe for occupation. Fire Department officials also tagged each building with an “X” sign, which means fires in the structure will only be fought from the outside. The danger of the buildings collapsing during a fire is too great for firefighters to enter, said Ed Stith, fire marshal.
At A Glance
Downtown Master Plan
The Downtown Springdale Alliance is paying $100,000 to Alta/Greenways, a consulting company, to formulate a plan for downtown Springdale. The group is focusing first on development around the Razorback Greenway, but will include all of downtown in the plan. The plan is scheduled to be completed this spring.
Source: Staff Report
Identifying the decaying buildings comes at a time when the city is trying to revitalize downtown. The Razorback Greenway, a 36-mile regional trail, will cross the city’s downtown. A trailhead will be on Emma Avenue.
Mayor Doug Sprouse said decisions about renovating buildings will have to be made by the property owners.
“Some of the older buildings might not be worth the cost of repair,” Sprouse said. “The city just needs the buildings to be safe and secure.”
The Apollo and Brown buildings are probably in worse repair than any other on Emma, Stith said.
“We have been in all of the buildings along Emma,” Stith said. “Those are the only two that look to be a danger to the public or to firefighters.”
The Apollo Theater, 308 W. Emma Ave., opened in 1949, according to a Springdale News story. The building, according to Washington County property records, was built in 1934. The current value of the building, not including the land, is appraised at $144,250.
The building, except for a second-story apartment at the front, hasn’t been occupied since 2001, according to city records.
Owner James Ritchey wasn’t available for comment because of medical problems, but his son, Derrick Ritchey, said his father is considering selling the building.
The Jeff Brown Building, 317 E. Emma Ave., is known as the site of one of the first chicken hatcheries in Springdale, owned by Brown’s company. The structure, along with the Tyson Headquarters next door at 319 E. Emma Ave., are part of the Springdale Poultry Industry Historic District.
The Brown Building, purchased by the Brown company in 1944, was built in 1923, according to county records. The two-story addition in the back was added in 1944. The building is appraised at $107,750, not including land.
The building hasn’t been occupied for years. A hole in the roof, visible from the street, allows rain to fall into the building.
Owner James Cypert said his decision to repair or demolish the building will include three factors: the cost to secure the building and make it water-tight; whether city officials will be satisfied with that level of repair; and finding a tenant.
The rest of the renovation could come after a tenant leases the building, Cypert said.
Tom Evers, chief building inspector, sent a letter to Cypert in June 2011 detailing the problems with the structure.
The repairs mentioned in the letter included replacing or repairing the roof; replacing rotting wood; replacing broken door jambs and windows; repairing brickwork on outside walls; and making sure the plumbing, electrical and heating systems are functional.
Evers said he planned to send a similar letter to Ritchey about the Apollo Theater building.
Evers said he doesn’t know what the repairs would cost.
City officials’ concern is for people to safely enter structures and for other buildings not to be damaged if one collapsed, Evers said.
The old Emma Avenue buildings could and should be saved, said Tim Faires. Faires has renovated two Emma buildings, 101 W. Emma Ave. and 111 E. Emma Ave., for his business, Warehouse 54.
“Some of the buildings need a little bit of love,” Faires said. “There are some options to get a building to a rentable stage.”
Kent Hirsch with Historic Springdale said renovation of Emma Avenue buildings would provide an opportunity for the whole city.
“Renovations on Emma Avenue will have a more sizable impact than anywhere else in the downtown,” Hirsch said.
Many of the once-empty storefronts along Emma now have tenants, Stith said. Several are in the process of being renovated.
One empty structure — the Wilson Building at 100 E. Emma Ave. — has long been rumored to be heavily damaged, Sprouse said. The rumors are false, he said.
“I was surprised how good a shape it was in,” Sprouse said. “I heard the basement was full of water, but it was dry and didn’t show any sign of being flooded.”
In some aspects, many of the downtown buildings are constructed better than newer buildings, Stith said.
“They have heavy, thick walls between the buildings,” Stith said. “Today, the walls are built as light as possible.”
One problem is those walls were breached with windows or doorways to expand businesses, Stith said. The openings create fire hazards, he said. That problem can be addressed during renovation, he said.
“You can turn those into nice spaces,” Stith said. “It depends on how much money you want to spend.”
Faires echoed Stith.
“Some people don’t want to spend that much money,” Faires said. “I think these downtown buildings are worth the cost.”