THe FRIENDS Of ARROW ROCK REACHES ITS $1 Million GOAL!

The Friends of Arrow Rock has surpassed its $1 million capital campaign goal.

Launched in 2009 in conjunction with its 50th anniversary, the comprehensive campaign raised funds for five priority areas: preservation and restoration of the Friends' 13 historic buildings; expanding and strengthening its educational programs; professional curatorial services to care for its valuable artifacts; increasing the size of its endowment; and supporting current operations.

“We had 100 percent participation and very generous giving from our Board of Trustees,” said Friends President Thomas B. Hall III. “They set the pace for the campaign and gave us the momentum we needed to carry us through successfully.”

Hall made the announcement on April 2 to a crowd of 150 people attending the “Bingham in the Boonslick” Symposium.

“We owe special thanks to campaign leaders Davoren Tempel, Donna Huston, Day Kerr, Kathy Borgman, Pat Cooper, Nancy Finke, Rich Lawson, Paul Ratcliffe, and Bill True, and to our professional development consultant Steve Byers,” said Hall. “With their help and the support of more than 140 donors, we were able to reach our goal against the backdrop of a challenging economy.”

The Friends of Arrow Rock will celebrate the victory at its Annual Meeting on June 12. Hall noted that the campaign is still receiving gifts and anyone who would like to add their gift or pledge can still be recognized at that time.

Campaign Funds Leverage Federal Grant

This past spring Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that the village of Arrow Rock, a Certified Local Government, would receive a $21,960 grant through the federal Historic Preservation Fund. This grant was used for preservation work on six historic properties that contribute to the town’s National Historic Landmark designation, including five Friends of Arrow Rock properties. Friends properties included an 1850s storefront building that now serves as the office of the Friends of Arrow Rock, and a second storefront building that houses the Post Office (both rebuilt following a 1901 fire), the 1868 Masonic Lodge Hall, the 1871 Brown’s Chapel (Arrow Rock’s first African-American church and school) and the 1872 Christian Church.
 
The sixth property was an 1830s vernacular building located north of the Country Store recently purchased by the village for use as a village hall. The Town Board insulated, replaced all clapboard siding and painted the structure All projects have now been completed and the Village of Arrow Rock awarded the Friends of Arrow Rock $11,400 for work completed on their projects, which consisted of painting, repairs and tuckpointing brick. As a matching grant, this total represented 60% of the total cost of the FAR projects with the Friends of Arrow Rock paying the additional 40% from gifts raised through the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign.
 
Arrow Rock is one of Missouri’s 49 Certified Local Governments, i.e. a community that has established historic preservation guidelines and programs. Such communities are considered partners with the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service in the nation’s historic preservation program. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes a program of federal matching grants, known as the Historic Preservation Fund to assist communities such as Arrow Rock in carrying out historic
preservation activities.
 

Planning Grants to Provide Detailed Studies of Key Properties

The Friends of Arrow Rock is preparing to launch a comprehensive planning process for five of its best-known properties: The Miller-Bradford House, the I.O.O.F Lodge Hall, the Masonic Lodge Hall, the Sites House and the Sites Gun Shop.
 

The historic preservation architectural firm Engine House No. 1 from St. Louis will prepare historic structure reports for the properties. The reports will provide full condition assessments, including the sites, structures, interiors, exteriors, mechanical systems, electrical systems and codes, as well as research and analysis of the historical significance of each property. Historic structure reports are considered the most comprehensive planning documents of their kind and will guide the Friends in preserving and developing the properties. The historic structure reports will be especially helpful because they will include suggestions for possible adaptive re-uses of the buildings, as well as estimates of the costs of the restoration work on each building.

Funding for the plans includes $25,000 from The Jeffris Heartland Fund, administered by the Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; $25,000 from the William T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank, Trustee; $25,000 from Miller House Board of Governors; and $24,000 from general campaign contributions.

"This effort is a huge step forward in fulfilling the strategic priority of creating a master plan for preserving and interpreting the Friends' properties," said Friends president Tom Hall. "These detailed reports will be some of the most important documents in the 51-year history of the Friends of Arrow Rock.”