Arkansas Tech University has received a $500,000 grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC) to help fund a renovation of Williamson Hall on its Russellville campus.
Combined with an initial $600,000 grant awarded to ATU in 2016 and a second grant of $600,000 in 2017, the ANCRC has now committed $1.7 million to the forthcoming renovation project.
Planned improvements to the two-story facility include making it more accessible through the installation of an elevator, enhancing safety features and improving the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The latest $500,000 grant will help ATU pursue a collaborative classroom, roof repairs and insulation replacement.
“We are appreciative of our continued partnership with the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council,” said Mike Hutchison, vice president for advancement at ATU. “Our university and the ANCRC share a passion for the preservation of facilities at Arkansas Tech that hold a place on the National Register of Historic Places. This grant funding will allow us to achieve that objective while making Williamson Hall a learning environment that is more conducive to student success.”
Opened in March 1940, Williamson Hall was constructed by the National Youth Administration to serve as its state headquarters. Once the facility was no longer needed by the NYA, it reverted to the possession of Arkansas Tech.
Alumni of the pre-Witherspoon Hall era remember Williamson Hall as the home of the Arkansas Tech music program. The structure is named for Marvin Williamson, who served as the initial director of bands at the institution from 1913-50.
Today, Williamson Hall is home to the ATU Department of Parks, Recreation and Hospitality Administration.
Williamson Hall will be closed until mid-December 2018 while the planned renovations are performed. Faculty and staff in the ATU Department of Parks, Recreation and Hospitality Administration will be located at South Hall, 1710 West C Place in Russellville, during the interim period.
Funds from ANCRC grants have previously helped Arkansas Tech renovate Browning Hall, Caraway Hall, Hughes Hall and Wilson Hall. Like Williamson Hall, all four of those structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Since May 2003, the ANCRC has awarded Arkansas Tech 12 grants totaling $6.25 million for preservation and renovation projects.
According to its website, the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council was established by the Arkansas Legislature in 1987 by Arkansas Act 729 (now codified as Arkansas Code Annotated 15-12-101 through 15-12-103). The act created the ANCRC to manage and supervise a grants and trust fund for the acquisition, management and stewardship of state-owned properties acquired or used for ANCRC-approved purposes.
The grants are funded through state’s real estate transfer tax. The ANCRC consists of eleven voting members. Grants from the fund are for projects that protect and maintain state-owned natural areas, historic sites and outdoor recreation.
