A suspected arson fire damaged the historic Roundtop Filling Station in Sherwood early Sunday morning, just a few weeks before the expected completion of a two-year project to restore the site, said Darrell Brown, chairman of Sherwood's History and Heritage Committee.
Brown, who oversees the project, said Sherwood police "don't believe it was an accident." Detectives were seeking information about assailants Sunday, said Sherwood police spokesman Lt. Jamie Michaels.
Police responded to the site, located at 6491 Roundtop Road off Arkansas 161, about 3 a.m. Sunday after reports of a fire, and firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, Michaels said.
Officers remained on scene Sunday afternoon.
"It's a crime scene at this point," Brown said.
The fire caused minor damage to the exterior of the 78-year-old structure, Michaels said. Custom-made windows and doors will have to be replaced, Brown said, and it will be repainted.
Brown said the damage would delay the restoration for several weeks.
"We've worked so hard to save it and restore it, and for something like this to happen, it's very heartbreaking for so many people," Brown said. "It's just very sad."
The former filling station was a popular stop on old U.S. 67 after it was built in 1936. The site was donated to the city in 1999 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, partly because of its uncommon architecture -- it has a distinctive, inverted-cone-shaped roof.
The city's History and Heritage Committee took on the project of transforming Roundtop -- Sherwood's only historical landmark -- into the police department's Southside Substation, Brown said. The restoration included securing and bracing the structure; repairing the roof; replacing the concrete foundation and plumbing; and changing out the light fixtures, windows and doors.
The building had just been repainted Friday, he said.
"We had a sign we were going to install; there was a lot of little cosmetic stuff we needed to do," he said. "But the majority of the work has been done."
The total estimated cost of the restoration is $192,000, most of which came from two grants from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and contributions from Sherwood and the Chamber of Commerce.
The cost of repairing the damage was unknown Sunday.
The incident happened less than a week before the first official public viewing of Roundtop. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program had planned a lunchtime tour Friday from noon to 1 p.m. as part of its Sandwiching in History series.
Brown said he was unsure whether the tour would be held as scheduled.
"This just couldn't come at a worse time for us," Brown said. "We were so excited to show it off to the public. We were scrambling to get it done for the tour, the first time the public could come get inside."
Michaels said late Sunday that the investigation was ongoing and a suspect description was not available. She asked that witnesses or anyone with information call the Police Department's criminal investigation division at (501) 834-8799.
Metro on 11/03/2014