Harrison Downtown Thriving Under Main Street Arkansas Program

Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Tourism

Editor's Note: The following is one in a series of features on Main Street Arkansas, which this year celebrates its 20th year of service to Arkansas towns.

Twenty years ago, downtown Harrison was in a state of decline. Its sidewalks were cracked and filled with weeds. Parking meter poles with no meters stood as eyesores. Businesses were moving out. Plywood covered windows of one of the most beautiful buildings in the area, and peeling paint was the norm.

"Apathy and decay had set in," Kay Steffen, executive director of Main Street Harrison, said. "It was right about that time that the Main Street [Arkansas] program came along, and we were lucky to get into it."

In 1984, Harrison, along with Batesville, Rogers, Osceola, and Helena, joined as pilot programs of Main Street Arkansas, a section of the state's Historic Preservation Program that provides technical assistance and design services to help create economic development in downtown areas.

Thus, Harrison began its effort to revitalize its downtown with early projects focusing on cosmetic enhancement. New signs and awnings were installed. Upper-floor windows were painted and building exteriors were cleaned. And period lights, purchased by local businesses and individuals, were installed around the 1909 Boone County Courthouse.

As the downtown physical image began to improve, events were scheduled to bring the community back to the area to conduct business, shop and socialize. The Harvest Homecoming Festival, which began in 1985, is now Harrison's largest festival with arts and crafts booths, live music and food venues.

The city continues to build on events to attract people downtown. Acoustic bluegrass concerts are offered throughout the day on Saturdays, and individuals are welcome to join in. Also taking place around the square on Saturdays throughout the summer, is the Farmer's Market (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Another significant project in the early days of Main Street Harrison was the creation of Crooked Creek Park. Crooked Creek, long a popular smallmouth bass stream, forms Lake Harrison just blocks from the downtown square. Main Street Harrison lobbied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permission to develop the park and to pursue a bond issue to fund the park. The project was a suggestion from the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, which developed a design plan for Main Street Harrison.

Today, Main Street Harrison, through its Envision Harrison committee, is working on the Dry Jordan Creek Project, which entails the creation of a walking trail to connect all existing trails in the city for a system consisting of more than seven miles. The group is also working to build a skateboard park.

The Envision Harrison committee is comprised of individuals representing all aspects of the community, as well as state and federal agencies. Its goal is to work to conserve resources and evaluate current land use and ordinances to ensure proper planning for the city's growth.

"This is a community-wide effort," Steffen explained. "Even though our primary projects are starting downtown, they aren't all ending downtown. We're making sure we share information about appropriate or controlled growth to make the community stronger in years to come."

The city continues to rebuild the streets and sidewalks around the square with much of the funding coming from state transportation grants. Two major rehabilitation projects have been completed with the assistance of Model Business Grants from the Arkansas Historic Preservation program, and an additional three are underway.

Completed projects include the renovation, inside and out, of the Walters Department Store building. Originally known as Walters Dry Goods, the business was established in 1864. The second floor of the Shaddox building was renovated within the historical footprint of the building for office space.

Projects underway include a turn-of-the-century building being rehabilitated by My Friends Closet, a resale store. The Daisy Flower and Gift Shop is renovating its second floor for a wedding chapel and small reception area, and the owners of the Milburn Building are renovating the second floor there as well. And, like other Main Street cities, Harrison is now seeing the transformation of businesses' second floors into living spaces.

The Boone County Courthouse and the Federal Building, an extension of the courthouse, will also soon receive repairs and restoration work through a courthouse rehabilitation grant.

Over the past 20 years, more than $2.5 million has been reinvested in the downtown with a net gain of 44 new businesses and 189 new jobs, Steffen said.

As the vitality of the downtown grows, so does the quality of the retail mix. Downtown buildings stay occupied 98 percent of the time, Steffen said. Today, downtown Harrison embraces four restaurants, pharmacies, a newspaper office, insurance agencies, seven banks, four churches, city hall, county offices, a bakery and a barber shop. Retailers offer a myriad of merchandise -- art, antiques and collectibles, clothing, flowers, crafts, home decor, paint, fabric, furniture, shoes, bicycles, sports equipment and music.

The renovated 1929 Lyric Theater once again offers live performances on a regular basis, and the downtown area also boasts two museums, the Boone County Historical Museum and the Marine Corps Legacy Museum.

And gone now are the cracked sidewalks and peeling paint. Today, hanging baskets of flowers complement and protective awnings accentuate the old brick building storefronts that line the Harrison square. The square proper and a few adjacent buildings make up the portion of the downtown recognized as a national historic district by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Only one building in the historic district is less than 50 years old.

Steffen attributes the success of the Main Street effort to the community working together. "Nobody is posturing for first place. We're proud of what we can do to make the city a better place. The Main Street project will never be done, but we're certainly on track to make sure the downtown is as viable as it can be," she said.

"As a country we gather in good and bad times and we do it downtown where all your buildings really have value," Steffen continued. "Parades end and start there. We don't gather in strip malls or shopping malls for that. We gather downtown, because that's where we feel the essence of our community, because that feeling of belonging is downtown."