Future of Bentonville's old post office unknown

The cornerstone inscription on the old post office building on the Bentonville square.
The cornerstone inscription on the old post office building on the Bentonville square.

BENTONVILLE -- Design likely will decide the fate of the old post office building as plans for the new home of Benton County's circuit courts continue to form.

The county has advertised for an architect and a consultant to work on the design of the courts building, after the Quorum Court settled on property on Northeast Second Street downtown as the location. The county owns the old post office that houses Circuit Judge Brad Karren's court. Officials saw concepts last year preserving the building and others razing it. The post office was built in 1935.

Building plans

Benton County wants to have architectural drawings for a proposed new courts building in hand by Sept. 1. according to County Judge Barry Moehring. The county has advertised for an architect and a courts consultant to work on a new building to house the county’s circuit judges, their courtrooms and related offices at a site on Northeast Second Street in downtown Bentonville.

Source: Staff report

"It's going to be a design-led decision," County Judge Barry Moehring said. "We need to look at designs that take the old post office into account. That is far from settled."

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Randy McCrory of Rogers has an interest in the preservation of historical buildings. He helped organize a community effort to save the Louise Thaden house in Bentonville from demolition. He also staged a sparsely-attended demonstration in support of the old post office in March. McCrory is less than optimistic the building can be saved based on plans the county has considered in the past and an apparent lack of public interest.

"In my mind, that building is already gone," he said. "It's kind of hard to get people motivated on something like that unless there's a bulldozer parked out front. I'm afraid the lack of a showing of public support may lead to that."

The county considered a new home for the circuit courts for several years. Two studies looked at sites downtown and on county-owned land on Southwest 14th Street, near the Benton County Jail. The Quorum Court voted earlier this year to focus on the Second Street location. The court cited a desire to keep the courts downtown and offers of assistance from the Walton Family Foundation and downtown business interests to acquire the land for a building, renovate the historic county courthouse and building a parking deck near the site.

Joel Jones, justice of the peace, said the decision on the old post office is part of the process.

"We've seen building options that keep the building and use it," Jones said. "We've seen options that keep the old building and not use it and we've seen options where they would tear it down."

Jones suggests if the county decides to tear down the post office the new building could use part of the facade or adopt a design that reflects the old building in an entrance.

"We'll see if the architect and consultant come up with an option for that," he said.

Tom Allen, justice of the peace, said the county has to take a hard look at the whole project before officials decide to keep the old post office. Historic preservation has merits, but benefits may not outweigh costs, he said.

"It's not as easy as that, just saying you're going to save that old building." Allen said. "You can make decisions based on desires that are more emotional than they are practical. I don't think there's anybody who wants to rush out there and just tear it down. The question is whether it's practical to save the building. How can you save the building for what people want it to be?"

Glenn Jones, c̶h̶a̶i̶r̶m̶a̶n̶ former commissioner* of the county's Historical Preservation Commission, said he will fight to save the old post office and rejects the idea of keeping a facade or incorporating the look of the old building into a new design.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Jones said. "A building that resembles the 75-year-old post office? Get real. That does nothing for historic preservation."

Jones is convinced the building will be demolished, based on the county's past decisions to tear down the historic Colonel Meyers Road and Illinois River bridges, and a general lack of interest to preserve other historic structures. But he plans to fight to change that outcome.

"I will continue battling until I see that historic old building tumble down in ashes," he said.

NW News on 04/23/2017

*CORRECTION: Glenn Jones is a former Benton County historical preservation commissioner. In a previous version of this article, his role with the commission was incorrect.

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