LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — People in the Hillcrest neighborhood fear a home over 100 years old may be demolished and the architectural history lost.
The Williamson-Pfiefer Home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, that’s not enough to keep it standing.
Hillcrest residents are hoping someone will fall in love with the foreclosed home before it’s too late.
Jesse Hall is on the hunt for an old home.
“You’re not going to get this look out of a new house,” Hall said.
He grew up just streets away from the 109-year-old home, which sits on Fairfax Avenue.
It’s now up for sale and needs lots of T.L.C.
“I’m kind of looking for a fixer-upper in this area, and I don’t want to change anything. I just want a house that looks exclusive to this area,” Hall said.
The Hillcrest Residents Association said it’s a ‘grand dame’ of Hillcrest and they fear for its future.
“The price per square foot is fairly low, so whenever that happens, people are concerned that someone might want to purchase it with the intent of tearing it down and building something new on the site,” Bob Keltner said.
Keltner is Chairman of the Preservation and Planning committee and lives nearby.
“I live just about a block or so away from that house and we walk by it all the time,” Keltner said.
The association said it was built by accomplished architect Theodore Sanders.
“It really is a significant house, historically, in the neighborhood and definitely the hope from the residents is that someone would buy it and fix it up,” Keltner said.
A committee is looking into whether the design overlay district can be strengthened to create incentives, so homes won’t be torn down.
“So if you don’t tear them down, there would be some additional benefits to renovating,” Keltner said.
Hillcrest must have a certain number of homes with original features to remain a historic neighborhood.
“I want my kids to be able to run up and down these streets just like I did, and I want them to look at the same type of houses,” Hall said.
Tax credits could be available for anyone planning to renovate the home.