New Visitor Center Receives Award

On September 24, 2007 Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site dedicated a new park visitor center during a week of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the desegregation events at the high school.  At its annual awards dinner on November 9, the Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas presented the site with an award for "Outstanding New Construction in a Historic Setting." Superintendent Michael Madell accepted the honor on behalf of the NPS. 

The award presentation recognized the NPS for achieving the goal to have the visitor center visually integrate with the surrounding residential neighborhood. The neighborhood, which retains much of the same appearance it had in the 1950s, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Central High National Historic District. A critical concern that park partners and neighbors expressed in the initial design phase of the project was that the building should "fit in" with the design of other structions in the immediate area and not try to compete architecturally with the school, itself an impressive historical and architectural landmark. The design of the visitor center respects the historical fabric and character of the neighborhood through the use of appropriate scale, building materials, and landscaping.