A historic Eureka Springs church damaged in a 2023 fire is another step closer in its reconstruction journey.
At its regular meeting held Wednesday, Jan. 15, the Eureka Springs Historic District Commission approved a series of exterior plans for the rebuilding of St. James Episcopal Church, which caught fire in the early morning hours of June 26, 2023.
The church, which is located at 28 Prospect and was originally built in 1888, suffered significant interior damage in the fire, but responding firefighters were able to limit damage on the building’s exterior.
Church officials immediately said the church would rebuild and the process has been ongoing. The HDC’s approval at the Jan. 15 meeting included OKs regarding new outside siding, the rebuilding of the church’s bell tower, the addition of exterior soffit lighting and adding a concrete ramp to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The exterior siding and masonry of the bell tower will use the same materials that had been used in the past.
There were no injuries in the fire, which was deemed electrical, according to Northwest Arkansas television station KFSM, which also reported that the fire was discovered by someone leaving the nearby Crescent Hotel who saw smoke coming out of the church’s roof.
Fire crews from Holiday Island, Inspiration Point and Berryville joined Eureka Springs officials on the scene to provide assistance.
“They had heavy fire damage on the inside,” Eureka Springs Fire Chief Gary Inman said the day of the fire. “But when fire crews got there, they stopped the damage at that point. They were able to get in there and not let any more damage happen. They did an absolutely amazing job putting that fire out.”
Inman said the church was heavily damaged by a fire in the 1970s but was rebuilt.
“From the outside, it looks structurally sound,” he said. “I don’t see any reason why they can’t rebuild. It’s going to be a daunting task, but given the age of the church and the history of the church I would be very surprised if they did anything but rebuild.”
A GoFundMe page was created in the days after the fire. While donations to the site are no longer being accepted, the online page shows $7,175 was raised.
OTHER APPROVALS
In other new approvals, the HDC OK’d the replacement of metal siding with wood siding that matches the house on a carport located at 26 Emporia St.
The commission also approved plans for the new construction of seven rental units with landscaping and parking at 58 N. Main. Plans call for the usage of stone from the existing site for the project on the property owned by Sara and Rodney Bechdoldt.
Michael Burns and Donald Grive, owners of 3 Armstrong, were given approval for replacing garage doors, removing a deteriorated deck and replacing exterior stairs.
In an amended approval from 2020 that was never completed, the HDC OK’d Melissa Taliaferro to continue the work on her property at 12 Fuller. The only alteration from the approval in 2020 is that a screen porch will now be enclosed, commissioners were told.
In its lone consent agenda items, the HDC approved replacing a front door, with same materials, at a residence at 50 Wall St.
OFFICERS
In the annual election of officers, Dee Bright was elected to remain as chair. Debbie Davis will be vice chair, Frank Green will be secretary and Susan Trimble Davis will be treasurer.
