Terry House Inc., a nonprofit created in support of the Pike-Fletcher-Terry mansion in Little Rock, is in talks with staff at the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design to utilize the property for programming, according to a letter from the group dated June 16.
From the letter:
We have just begun a dialogue with the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture & Design to utilize the house in partnership with the City of Little Rock for programing and to establish a presence for the university in Little Rock for students as well as a cultural center for the entire community. This is a model that other cities have created.
To return the house to the family when the building has been a part of the public trust for decades, especially knowing that hundreds of thousands of dollars of public monies have been put into the restoration of the house as well as an endowment fund which was intended to ensure the protection of the house seems illogical. We hope the Little Rock Board of Directors will continue to be a steward of the Pike Fletcher Terry House and advocate for its future, vibrant new use for the benefit of the community.
The property has sat empty for years. Its grounds are moderately kept, but the exterior of the house is deteriorating and mold has allegedly been found inside. Chimney bricks and shutters are crumbling.
The June 16 letter was delivered to members of the Little Rock city board to inform them of the house’s history and local importance, heir Susan Borné said.
Six heirs to the Terry House, with their Attorney Richard Mays, filed a lawsuit in October 2021 against the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, its foundation and the city of Little Rock alleging that the property has not been taken care of to the standards outlined in a 1960 deed.
“In an ideal world, we [the heirs] would love for the city to continue to own the house, but we are trying to find ways for the city to partner with other organizations that can help carry the load,” Borné said.
Little Rock City Attorney Tom Carpenter said Thursday that a recent plan to revert the house to the heirs is still in action. In a memo to the Little Rock Board of Directors, Carpenter explained the city was the “only remaining defendant in this matter in reality.”
Briefed on the letter from the Terry House Inc., which came after his initial memo, Carpenter said he’s glad the heirs are in communication with the architecture school.
Bobby Roberts, a member of Terry House Inc., said Thursday it would be “an embarrassment to the city and to the community if something happens to it.” He said the nonprofit is looking into two tracks for future programming: history and architecture.
The Terry House was built in 1840 by Albert Pike, a Confederate general. The property was home to Pulitzer Prize winners, a woman who was inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame this year and a U.S. representative. It was also the site of the Arkansas Female College and housed some of the people who were integral in fighting segregation in schools in the 1950s. The house is a prime example of Greek Revival architecture.
“If the house is eventually turned back over to the Terry family and goes into some kind of nonprofit, it’s going to have to have some public partnership or it won’t survive,” Roberts said.
The dialogue with the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is still in its beginning stages, Borné said. Nothing is set in stone.
“I think we are going to pursue whatever we can,” Borné said. “The heirs do not have the financial ability to support that house, and of course we could have to have some funding to get the house back up to speed.”
In concept, Borné said the architecture school would likely not help fund rehabilitation, but it may utilize the property for lectures or intersession courses.
June 29 clarification from Borné: “While Terry House, Inc. has had informal conversations with the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, no formal commitments have been made by any of the parties involved. Terry House, Inc. has also discussed and explored other options and ideas. We welcome public input to ensure that the house can be best preserved for a dynamic use that would be of the greatest benefit for the community.”