Historic Preservation Projects

The City of Fayetteville prioritizes celebrating and preserving the historic places that make our community unique, and we continually seek to uncover additional histories, people and places significant to our community. To support our historic preservation goals, the City of Fayetteville sponsors various historic preservation projects, from crafting a Heritage and Historic Preservation Plan to guide our work for the next 10 years to compiling neighborhood histories. Explore the content below to learn about current and former preservation projects in the City. 

Current Project - Historic Context Statement of University Heights and Haskell Heights

Historic image of Cy Sutherland Place, showing natural stone and wood shingle home
Cy Sutherland Place (c. 1940), Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Resource Number WA0858 recorded July 7, 1998.

The City of Fayetteville has been awarded a National Park Service grant, administered by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, to document the history of the University Heights and Haskell Heights neighborhoods. The project study area includes both neighborhoods as well as the Markham Hill area as shown on this map.

Historic context study area map on 9-21-23; highlighting University Heights, Haskell Heights, Markham Hill
Historic Context Statement Study Area

These neighborhoods have rich histories, from their early agricultural roots to their development as mid-twentieth-century enclaves encompassing homes designed by some of Arkansas' most renowned architects. Professional historians and architectural historians will prepare a historic context study, which is a written narrative that will describe the neighborhood’s early history, development patterns, important people and places, and notable architectural qualities, among other topics. The document will help us to understand the unique history of this part of Fayetteville, identify historic resources, and aid City staff and commissioners in decision-making affecting University Heights, Haskell Heights and Markham Hill. Additionally, residents and property owners of historic properties interested in listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or creating a local historic district may use the study to support designation.

Historic image of Beacher Hart House, showing home with large open patio set in a clearing of trees
Beacher-Hart House (1952), Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Resource Number WA0918 recorded May 2001.

The city has contracted Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. to complete the project within three primary stages:

  1. Submission of an outline of the historic context, incorporating historical research and information gathered from community input, by November 14, 2023;
  2. Submission of a draft historic context to the city, Historic District Commission, and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program by February 21, 2024; and
  3. Submission of a final historic context by May 10, 2024. 

Throughout the course of the project, public outreach will be conducted to distribute information about the project and gather information about neighborhood history. Public outreach is integral to a successful historic preservation project and provides invaluable insider knowledge. Residents and members of the public are encouraged to share their knowledge, memories and images of the University Heights and Haskell Heights neighborhoods to sandy.shannon@stantec.com with “Heights History” in the subject line.

Former Projects