Clements & Associates Architecture, Inc., of North Little Rock, was selected by the Jasper City Council last Thursday, April 15, to provide services required for renovating the former Buffalo Theater building on Spring Street into a visitor's center.
The council also passed a resolution accepting the gifting of the building to the city.
Mayor Jan Larson began looking for grants to purchase the vacant building and to renovate it for use as a visitors center. That led to an agreement with the building's owner, Don Nelms, to donate the building to the city. Nelms has owned it since a local non-profit corporation vacated the building years ago after trying to utilize it as a theater and community center. It has been vacant ever since. Prior to that the building housed a bakery, a theater before that and according to the description of the property in the resolution was apparently a drug store.
In seeking community development grants though the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Arkansas Heritage for restoring and renovating the building's exterior and interior spaces, the city would have to acquire the services of a certified architect for the projects.
Larson said Clements & Associates Architecture, Inc., was selected from others because the owner is familiar with Jasper and because the firm has worked on similar restoration projects.
The council also authorized the mayor to begin making the application for renovation grants in advance of the next grant cycle in March.
