story by Michael Tilley
mtilley@thecitywire.com
An iconic building in downtown Fort Smith that has alternated between consideration for renovation and demolition will soon become the headquarters of Fort Smith-based Propak Logistics.
The historic and white tiled Friedman-Mincer building – also known as the OTASCO building – at the intersection of Garrison Avenue and Towson Avenue in downtown Fort Smith was built in 1911, and Steve Clark plans to give it a serious makeover more than 102 years later.
Clark, founder and president of Propak, finalized on Tuesday (May 21) the transaction to buy the property. With an acquisition and renovation estimate of about $2 million, Clark plans to convert the three-story, 24,000-square-foot building into offices for the about 40 employees of Propak. The company provides logistics, transportation and supply-chain management services.
The top two floors – each floor is roughly 8,000 square feet – will be Propak offices, with a use for the bottom floor yet to be determined. The two floors for Propak will offer room for growth, with Clark estimating the company could add 10-15 people in the next few years. Propak now has offices in a 9,000-square-foot space in the Arvest tower in Fort Smith.
Clark has watched several companies and individuals make a play for the deteriorating but historic property. He drives by the property almost every day during his work commute. And while the property is not the most economically advantageous choice for new office space, it gives him a chance to invest in “a city that’s been good to me.”
“With each building we see removed in that (downtown) area, it removes some of the heart of our history. ... So I see this as a preservation of a truly iconic building on an historic corner,” Clark explained during an interview prior to finalizing the deal.
Clark is hoping to move offices into the renovated space by June 2014.
The building recently came close to demolition. In 2009, developer Jimmy Meadows bought the building with plans for 14 apartments and ground-floor retail. Meadows had previously purchased and renovated the Davis Furniture building in downtown Fort Smith.
However, Meadows in 2012 told the Central Business Improvement District that the project was not economically feasible and he recommended that demolition might be the best option. CBID Chairman Richard Griffin suggested an independent review of the structure before authorizing demolition. It was a delay that has proven a good thing for fans of preserving historic structures in Fort Smith.
Fort Smith City Administrator Ray Gosack said he is grateful for Clark’s willingness to move downtown.
“It’s exciting that there is interest in developing that property, particularly with it being in a high-profile area,” Gosack said, adding that having at least 40 more people employed in the downtown area will be an added benefit. “It’s not only good news for preservation of that historic building, but good for downtown Fort Smith in general.”
Clark said he will seek tax credits for historic redevelopment, and plans on using a Fayetteville-based architect with Fort Smith ties because he “wants to create a buzz in Northwest Arkansas about what’s going on in Fort Smith.”
Clark wants to return the main entrance to the building’s front corner. He hopes to return the large glass panels to the bottom level. To do that and best retain the history of the building, he has traveled with architects to Cincinnati to look at some of the historic renovations in the city’s 28 separate national historic districts.
“Part of the issue for me is, ‘This is my home, and so how do I make a true preservation play ... How do we do this right in terms of that (history)?’” Clark said.
There is a lot of history with the building, according to Ben Boulden, Fort Smith native and author of “The Hidden History of Fort Smith, Arkansas.”
“It’s a real special building on the avenue. It has that triangular, mini-Flatiron (building in New York) appearance. ... The history includes being part of Texas Corner,” Boulden said.
In Boulden’s book, Texas Corner was plotted by Captain Benjamin Bonneville as a road to connect Fort Smith with Fort Towson in Indian Territory. At one time, the corner was a “rough street” with “undesirable families” and where gangs congregated to drink and raise hell.
Boulden said the building was part of several-year building boom on Garrison that included the Goldman Hotel and the First National Bank building. The Goldman no longer stands.
“What’s interesting is that those two buildings, First National and Mincer, also have that white tile brick,” Boulden noted, saying the white brick was preferred at the time because it was easier to clean.
In addition to office space and retail space, the building also housed a bowling alley in the 1930s and 1940s with the pins set manually by “pinboys,” Boulden said.
The building was also once home to the Oklahoma Tire and Supply Co. store (OTASCO).
Boulden, who was aware of the building’s poor condition and threat of demolition, was pleased to hear of Clark’s plan for the property.
“This is good news because we don’t need to lose any more historic architectural assets on the avenue,” he said.
Not only will renovation save a building on Garrison Avenue, Clark is hopeful it will be the first of several developments between the Avenue and south to Sparks Hospital.
“I would be disappointed if it wasn’t a stimulus” for improvements in that direction, Clark said.