Studio Gang and SCAPE are working in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects on the Arkansas Arts Center currently under construction in MacArthur Park, Little Rock. The work is being realized through a public-private partnership, with a $31 million commitment from the City of Little Rock, funded through a hotel-tax revenue bond. The project will house the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection, which includes 14,000 works of art from around the world.
The project is managed by Arkansas construction companies Nabholz and Doyne along with Chicago-based Pepper Construction. Demolition and excavation on the site was completed earlier this year by Rogers & Dillon Demolition & Excavating. The original 1937 façade of the Museum of Fine Arts has been revealed as the new north entrance, and restoration work on the limestone façade will begin this fall. The concrete blossom roofline – a key element of the building’s architecture – will create a connective axis through the building. To date, 2,700 cubic yards of concrete have been poured for the building – much of it provided by Little Rock-based Bass Commercial Concrete.
Construction on the steel structure for the two-story gallery and collections space is underway with steel sourced by WW/AFCO and C & F Steel Erectors. Inside the 1937 building, a new glass balcony marries the historic building into the contemporary design of the newer spaces. Glass for these balconies as well as for the glass-enclosed gathering space at the north entrance – will be sourced by Glass Erectors, Inc.
“The Arkansas Arts Center is one of the largest and most complex projects I’ve directed due to the integration of a one-of-a-kind custom addition as well as extensive renovations of the existing buildings and integrating new mechanical systems throughout the facility,” Pepper Project Executive Anthony Alleman said. “Our team shares the Arkansas Arts Center’s commitment to hire local contractors to complete this historic project. Along with having an immediate impact on the local economy, the monumental project will attract people from throughout the region to visit the Arkansas Arts Center and Little Rock for decades to come.”
At the end of May, the construction spend on the project had reached $20.2 million, with another $3.5 million projected to be spent throughout June. The new Arkansas Arts Center is set to open in 2022.
News via Arkansas Art Center
