HOT SPRINGS -- A former Hot Springs barbecue restaurant was demolished over the weekend after an emergency condemnation was initiated by the city in the interest of public safety.
Kathy Sellman, Hot Springs planning and development director, said Monday that Dewey's Town Talk BBQ at 200 Pleasant St. was razed because of damage to the building.
"There was extensive damage to the roof, and that caused extensive damage to the inside and had begun affecting the structural integrity of the walls," she said. "The brick walls had cracks through the mortar, and that was causing the walls to bulge outward.
"It had already been yellow-taped off by the fire department, and it was proving difficult to keep secured. The door was always being removed, and it was no longer safe."
Sellman said the roof of the building, which had been boarded up for many years, had fallen in and the condemnation could not wait any longer. It took place Saturday.
"The deterioration was such that although the place was boarded, there wasn't really anything to attach the boards to anymore. That wasn't accomplishing the goal of keeping out who should not be in there, and it was going to tumble," she said.
Cheryl Batts, executive director of P.H.O.E.B.E./The Uzuri Project, said Dewey's Town Talk BBQ had been a black-owned business that "touched our entire community."
"It was doing a good business, but it wasn't just black people that make the history of Dewey's. ... It was always there and was a landmark business that had everybody's heart," she said. "I've received several text messages from different people who remember it, and we're all kind of outdone and don't know what happened.
"The owner was just about ready to sell it to a guy who was willing to go in and pull all that [interior] out. The walls were bulging, but they weren't bulging that bad. They were thick, and the guy was having a hard time tearing them down. The building just needed to be gutted, and [the possible buyer] was willing to do that.
"I was absolutely shocked that it would happen that quickly because the owner was talking to the guy a few days ago and was ready to close on the deal to save the structure. So that is just amazing to me."
Elaine Jones, city director, said she worked for a short time as a waitress at the restaurant in the 1980s.
"During one of the National Baptist [Hotel] conventions, Dewey [Smith] needed help, and his wife asked me if I would come help them. I didn't know a thing about being a waitress, so I worked while the convention was here and made good tips. So they asked me to stay on, and there were two of us who stayed: me and 'Ms. Emma.' She was a helper for Dewey, who did all the cooking and wouldn't let anyone touch his ribs.
"Back then, people didn't make a lot of money, but they paid as much as they could, which was more than most people made. I enjoyed working there, and I met a lot of people. In fact, that's where I met my husband."
Elmer Beard, longtime resident and former city director, said Smith told him one time he bought the lot, which contained a chicken yard at the time, in 1929 for less than $100.
"I ate there many times. Dewey lost money on our family reunions because he forgot to charge for the kids, and they ate as much as the adults," Beard said.
Sellman said the building will be condemned "after the fact" at the July 7 Board of Directors meeting.
"Whether it very suddenly got to the stage it was in, or we failed to recognize it was getting to that stage, I couldn't say. But as of Friday, there was no roof, and if you peeked in between the boards trying to close the front door, you would see sky," she said.
Sellman said the location, which is flat, with city utilities and easy access to downtown "is a super little spot."
"With the improvements being made to the old Baxter Hotel site, and the improvements made to the National Baptist Hotel, that is an area that is beginning to look fresh and desirable," she said.
NW News on 06/30/2015