ROGERS — A significant landmark from the historic resort city of Monte Ne will quickly be torn down.
Crews will start eradicating the Oklahoma Row part of the early twentieth century resort through the week of Feb. 20, in accordance to a news launch from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The three-story Oklahoma Tower, which stands on the shore of Beaver Lake, will even be torn down. The work will take about three weeks, the discharge states.
The concrete tower has develop into a menace to security over time, in accordance to Jay Townsend with the Corps of Engineers.
“Continuous exposure to high lake waters over the last decade have contributed to the dangerous conditions along Oklahoma Row. It’s only a matter of time before things start falling on their own,” he mentioned.
After a long time of investigating methods to preserve Monte Ne, the Corps of Engineers was not ready to discover a cost-effective approach to preserve Oklahoma Row and Tower, in accordance to Townsend. The choice “was not an easy one,” however was supported by preservationists, lawmakers and the corps, he mentioned within the launch.
“Over the years, as we worked to preserve the site, our rangers observed increased trespassing through the security fence and other dangerous activities,” he mentioned. “Vandals have covered parts of the structure in graffiti. It’s an incredible piece of history, but more and more, it’s become an attractive nuisance and safety hazard.”
The Corps of Engineers is cooperating with the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Rogers Historical Museum and Arkansas Historic Preservation Program to preserve materials from the location, in accordance to Townsend.
Serena Barnett, director of the Rogers Historical Museum, mentioned there’ll be historic markers on the website sooner or later. Plans embrace including one thing like instructional panels with footage to mark the placement, she mentioned.
The museum additionally hopes to maintain a chunk of the tower in its assortment, she mentioned.
The contractor will stage the gear subsequent week, in accordance to Derek Murken, Beaver Lake operations supervisor.
The resort city of Monte Ne was based a couple of miles southeast of Rogers by William H. “Coin” Harvey in 1900. Work on the log resort Oklahoma Row, designed by architect A.O. Clarke, started in 1908 following the development of one other resort referred to as Missouri Row, in accordance to the Rogers Historical Museum’s web site.
Monte Ne’s resorts attracted guests from throughout the U.S. for many years, in accordance to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. The resort was a monetary disappointment, and Oklahoma Row was offered in a foreclosures sale in 1927, the museum web site states.
Much of the resort and city had been left underwater after the White River was dammed to create Beaver Lake within the Sixties. The Army Corps of Engineers assumed duty for administration of the historic property after the creation of the lake. The website was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, in accordance to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
submit credit score to Source link