Plans for turning Hinderliter Grog Shop into tavern tabled

A proposal from the Parks, Heritage and Tourism brass to turn a 200-year-old structure on the grounds of the Historic Arkansas Museum into a bar has been put on hold “indefinitely.”

Marty Ryall, director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, which falls under the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, presented the plan for the Hinderliter Grog Shop to the Historic Arkansas Museum Commission at the August meeting. 

Members of the commission, according to meeting minutes, were concerned about the proposal because they feared that turning the facility into a working tavern would harm the structural and material integrity of the structure. The grog shop is the oldest standing structure in Little Rock and one of the oldest in the state, according to the museum.

In response to those concerns, the commission chairman, James M. “Butch” Warren, put together a committee of three commissioners to meet with Ryall on Thursday, Oct. 22, to further discuss the plan. But that meeting was canceled Tuesday afternoon by Ryall.

“Sorry for the late notice, but I need to cancel our meeting scheduled for Thursday,” Ryall wrote to the three committee members. “The Hinderliter project we had been exploring is now on hold indefinitely, and at this point there’s nothing new or substantive to discuss.”

Commissioners had not been briefed about the plan before it was presented by Ryall, who was accompanied at the August meeting by Suzanne Grobmyer, chief of staff for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and Laura McClellan, deputy director of the Division of Arkansas Heritage and interim director of the Old State House Museum. Also at the meeting was Kate East, an interior designer with AMR Architects, who presented the findings of a feasibility study her firm was hired to perform. 

The study said that the structure, built around 1827, could be turned into a period tavern, serving Arkansas-made grog in tin or stone mugs, with a limited number of permanent changes to the building, although there was no guarantee that the structure would survive unscathed from necessary renovations and additional traffic.

“Every increment of scope inside the historic envelope increases preservation risk, operational complexity and capital exposure,” the study stated.

The Arkansas Times has asked the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism for the price tag and details regarding the contract with AMR Architects, but we have not yet received that information.

The goal of the grog shop renovation, Ryall said, was to capitalize on the 30 Crossing Park being planned nearby. He affirmed in his email that he still wanted to take advantage of the Historic Arkansas Museum’s proximity to the park. 

“That said, the reasoning behind that exploration still very much applies,” he wrote. “ With the 30 Crossing project, we have a significant opportunity to bring new visitors to the museum and expand our reach. This is the perfect time for us to think creatively about how we can elevate and enrich the visitor experience. I would truly value your ideas and hope you’ll continue to be part of those conversations as we move forward.”

Gordon Rather, one of the commissioners who was set to meet with Ryall this week, said Wednesday morning he was not given a reason for the sudden reversal in plans other than what he read in Ryall’s email.

“That’s all I know,” he said. “I haven’t talked to him.”