Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Design Plans Arrive From UA Architecture Students

The Design Plan for downtown Prescott developed last summer by architectural students from the University of Arkansas School of Architecture has been received by the Partnership Office.

The plan is a comprehensive look at the current conditions downtown with specific studies completed on West Main Street and East Elm Street. Overall themes for a consistent downtown design are recommended.

The study also provides drawings for improvements on the courthouse square and in the two proposed pocket parks on Elm Street.

The students spent six weeks in Prescott, completing drawings, concepts and evaluations of the buildings, sidewalks and streets in the downtown area. The area of the study went from West Second to East Third and from Walnut North to Pine South.

Suggestions included are that the community make the downtown area more pedestrian friendly by lowering the lighting with street lights that reflect the historic character of the buildings and the planting of trees for shade from the sun.

Other features focus on suggestions for building use and preservation. Recommendations on awnings, exterior colors and methods of restoration are part of the plan text.

Another part of the overall scheme that the study stressed is a new zoning ordinance for the area.

The students propose that the city of Prescott develop zoning that covers all sign age, awnings, building colors, new construction and restoration so that the community can help control the rehabilitation of the downtown retail base. All existing buildings would be acceptable as they are but new changes on any existing building would have to meet the new zoning codes.

The students who participated were Katie Finnegan from Little Rock, Mandy Holland from North Little Rock, Su Guan Koh from Penang, Malaysia, Tim Maddox from Jonesboro, Heiko Mueller from Bentonville, Carolyn Pike from Mountain Home, Kelly Walsh from West Fork and Greg Williams from Magnolia.

Faculty advisors were Laura Terry, assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, and Kevin Brown, a graphic designer. The project was approved by David Glasser, the director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center.

The students wanted to give special thanks to those people who made their stay especially enjoyable: Jon Chadwell, Mary Godwin, Mayor Howard Taylor, the Nevada County Picayune for its coverage of town meetings, Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Bright, Heidi and Brett Richards at the Whistlin' Gopher, Two Morrows Tea Room, Chad Cornelius and the Prescott Fitness Center, Prescott City Council members, John Teeter at the Depot Museum, Congressman Mike Ross, members of the Church of Christ for their Wednesday night dinners, members of the First United Methodist Church for their Friday night dinners, State Sen. Percy Malone for donated office space and especially Dr. and Mrs. Michael Young, Mr. and Mrs. Alex Gordon and Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Graham for donating their cabins at Suckles Lake for lodging.

The study will pay big dividends for the effort to improve Prescott's downtown area. The Partnership wants to add its thanks to everyone who made the project possible and to the students for helping efforts to make Prescott and Nevada County and even better place to live and do business.