The Pike-Fletcher-Terry House may soon be returned to the heirs who sued the city of Little Rock, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and its foundation, according to a memo from City Attorney Tom Carpenter.
Joe Flaherty with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had the story on Carpenter’s memo to city officials on Thursday. The memo includes a note that because of a recent dismissal of the museum foundation from the suit, and the city’s role in appointing museum trustees, the city is the “only remaining defendant in this matter in reality.”
Carpenter suggested the litigation should end, with the property returning to the heirs. If the $500,000 in city funds allocated to the structure is not used in one year, the dollars would return to the city account. City Manager Bruce Moore said in May that only a minor portion of the funds had been used.
In October 2021, six heirs to the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House filed a lawsuit claiming the property had not been maintained as required by a property deed to the city from the 1960s. The deed specified the property should be used for the public’s benefit, but the property sat shuttered for years. Its lawn is moderately maintained and the structure is struggling. Vines creep up the side of the building, the brick and wood is chipping away and a “No Entry” sign affixed to a locked gate keeps out visitors.
The heirs would accept the property if returned but prefer the city keep the Terry House, following the wishes of the house’s former residents, said the heirs’ attorney, Richard Mays. If returned, the group would likely seek a nonprofit to help rehabilitate the house. Terry House Inc., a group that formed in support of the property, would be a top choice, Mays said.
Regardless of who ultimately claims ownership of the house, Mays said the heirs would seek damages. He estimated the repair costs at $2 million based on prior architectural evaluations. Mays said he is still gathering evidence to show the city did not adequately maintain the property.
“It is terribly sad that [a house] that represents so much Arkansas history is allowed to deteriorate by neglect,” Mays said.
