Over the years, the Prairie Grove Town Center has been many things -- from a gas station and auto shop in the 1930s and 1940s, to a city hall complete with police station starting in the 1970s. Now it will continue on as a community center, thanks to the efforts of Rick and Kara Ault.
The Aults bought the town center about a year ago from the city and have been working to restore the interior to the character it had "back in the day."
The building, located at the intersection of East Buchanan Street and North Neal Street in downtown Prairie Grove, started its life as a Magnolia Gas Station in the 1930s. Old pictures show gas pumps out front, long gone, as well as garage doors that are still visible on the corner of the building.
The service station changed names and owners over the next 40 years and even served as a race car garage in the 1960s. Then, in the 1970s, it was purchased by the city of Prairie Grove and turned into a municipal building that housed city hall, a courtroom and the police department.
"There is just a lot of history in the building itself, and not to be cheesy, I know that buildings don't have a soul, but they do have a vibe to them and just coming down here you just start to feel the vibe of the building itself," Rick said.
The city remodeled the building to have a more municipal look, covering the high tin ceilings with low drop tiles, and the original brick and stucco walls with wood paneling. Outside, a new layer of brick covered the original brick walls.
When the Aults purchased the building, they began peeling back the layers to discover the treasures underneath. Under the vinyl tile floor of the former police station, they found the original concrete of the gas station garage, aged to a beautiful patina, and huge wooden beams were found inside the walls and ceilings.
The crawl space above the former gas station lobby acted as a sort of time capsule. It was used to store old receipts from the 1940s and 1950s, pictures and even a gas station banner from the 1930s.
For Rick and Kara, the restoration is a labor of love for both the building and the community. When the couple moved to Prairie Grove about 12 years ago, they knew they had found their home and they are now fully vested in the community, Rick said.
"This building for me is really an investment in the community," Rick said. "It's not really an investment from a financial perspective. What I hope is it will be more self-sustaining from a financial perspective so it doesn't come all out of pocket."
Rick works at Walmart's corporate headquarters and Kara is the publisher of Macaroni Kids, a popular e-newsletter about local family-friendly and kids activities.
The Aults have already restored several older homes in Prairie Grove to be used as vacation rentals but this is their first time to take on a project of this scale. They work on the building in their spare time as a family project, and even the couple's two young daughters have gotten involved. They have had plenty of help from professional craftspeople and guidance from the city, Rick said.
The couple is restoring the building in three phases. The first phase, now complete, was the restoration of the former police station into the area that houses the recently opened Magnolia Coffee House, owned by Richard and Deidre Mays.
Phase two of the restoration, which is currently underway, is to give the former lobby of the Magnolia Gas Station an authentic vintage look. The room will be used for events or overflow seating for the coffee shop. Rick plans to hang some of the historic memorabilia he has found during the renovation on the walls to add to the atmosphere.
Phase three of the renovation has yet to begin and will include opening up the former city offices and courtroom into an area that will accommodate large gatherings.
"There is a lot of unknowns when you buy an old building," Rick said. "I was really lucky and blessed that the bones of this building were rock solid. We've found no really significant anything to deal with. It's all been cosmetic and updating the electrical. Everything is new, from the plumbing stuff, the electrical, the lighting, because after so many years, due diligence is going to be getting it up to code."
Even though it is under renovation, the Town Center has stayed busy. The building has hosted dance classes, art shows, a kid's flea market, a non-profit fair, a family game night, and numerous birthday parties and weddings. It also houses a little free food pantry, where those in need can anonymously pick up necessities.
During one event, seniors came to the Town Center and shared their memories of the building. Some had stories about how they would come into the service station during their childhood to buy a soda.
Rick is hopeful the building will not only be a place to host events, but also provide a place where teens can hang out or where people can stop to buy a cup of coffee while visiting the world-class flea markets in downtown Prairie Grove.
"I think with a little bit of imagination and a lot of sweat equity, this is going to come out to be pretty cool looking," Rick said.
More information about the Town Center is available online at www.pgtowncenter.com or on the Prairie Grove Town Center Facebook page.
General News on 01/17/2018