Plans for a retro bowling alley and a German beer hall are in the works for the 300 block of East Capitol Avenue across the street from Rock Region Metro's River Cities Travel Center.
The proposed establishments -- the Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge and Fassler Hall -- replicate businesses owned and operated by The McNellie's Group, based in Tulsa, which has pubs and restaurants in Oklahoma.
The Little Rock Historic District Commission considered design proposals for both structures at a meeting Monday, an early step in the process for developing both venues. The buildings being considered for the new businesses are within the MacArthur Park Historic District.
The commission approved the design plan for the Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge with some changes and deferred a decision on plans for the Fassler Hall proposal until its January meeting.
Leases for the spaces have yet to be signed and the projects are in preliminary stages, Jimmy Moses, chairman and founder of Moses Tucker Real Estate Inc., said Monday.
"We're still in the middle of negotiating the details on both," Moses said. Efforts Monday to reach the principal owner for The McNellie's Group, Elliot Nelson, were unsuccessful.
Moses Tucker is largely responsible for early development of the River Market District. The area closest to the Arkansas River has plenty of food and entertainment offerings, but pickings are slimmer closer to East Capitol Avenue.
The Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge, a throwback to the classic bowling alleys of the 1970s, would go in at 315 E. Capitol Ave., the former M.M. Eberts American Legion Post. Plans for the business include a restaurant, bar and "boutique" bowling alley, according to a staff report generated for Monday's meeting.
Moses Tucker bought the building earlier this year in a deal that also included a parking lot behind the post. On that site, the real estate development and property management company is building the Row at Legion Village, a 36-unit apartment complex.
Moses Tucker also built and has since sold MacArthur Commons Apartments, also nearby on East Capitol Avenue.
Fassler Hall would go in the former Paragon Printing building at 307 E. Capitol Ave., next door to the Dust Bowl. An alley between the two buildings is now closed.
The Paragon structure has two-story floor-to-ceiling glass front windows and blank walls on the sides. Plans for Fassler Hall include a restaurant and outdoor seating. The large expanse of brick would be broken up with bays on the east and west sides.
The Paragon building is owned by Central Arkansas Water but is vacant except for a portion used for storage, Moses said. Moses Tucker is helping negotiate a lease agreement between McNellie's and the water utility.
"The East Capitol Avenue area has not been a very vibrant neighborhood before," Moses said. But that's changing with the recent opening of MacArthur Commons and new nearby hotels. The Row at Legion Village is scheduled to open in summer 2016.
"This will all have a significant impact on how people will see East Capital Avenue," Moses said. "We've always said the River Market District extended all the way to Capitol, and this is an affirmation of that."
The Paragon building, built in 1947, is considered a "contributing structure" in regard to the historical significance of the area; the former Legion post, erected around 1968, is not considered a contributing structure.
McNellie's operates Dust Bowl and Fassler Hall locations in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Business on 12/15/2015
