BENTONVILLE, Ark. — According to a Walmart spokesperson, the demolition of the historic buildings that house the Walmart museum was due to meeting safety and structural requirements.
5NEWS reported Monday that community members had reached out for details about the project, concerned the buildings were knocked down as part of the renovation.
Walmart announced the extensive renovations to it's museum last year. The project is scheduled for completion by spring 2024, according to Walmart's announcement.
The affected buildings of this project are the Walton's 5&10 building and the Terry Block building— two of the oldest buildings in the square.
Local historian Randy McCrory has studied the history of these buildings.
"The building that was just torn down here was not the original Terry Block building. There actually was a wood structure that sat there until 1888 ... It was also the Terry Block building, but it was torn down and a brick building replaced it," McCrory said. "The building next to it was Burns Mercantile Store. Both the stores were built in the 1870s or 1880s and have sat there for over 135 years."
McCrory leads several groups discussing local history.
He says he and others in the community were caught off-guard when they realized the buildings had been demolished as part of the renovation.
"It's kind of surprising the other day when we found out that both of these two buildings had been torn down and pretty much under the cover of a blanket where not very many people in the community had realized that the buildings had come down," McCrory said.
"As with any restoration project, it’s been our focus to balance preservation of the original design with safety and contemporary improvements inside the building. When the building reopens in the winter of 2024 the exterior will be consistent with the look and feel the community has come to know and the interior will include an expansion of the museum and other inclusive amenities," Walmart said in a statement to 5NEWS.
Walmart spokesperson Scott Pope tells 5NEWS the decision to rebuild came after extensive evaluation and was the only option in order to comply with current safety standards.
"We want to make sure that as we're doing this project, we're doing it the right way," Pope said.
The plan all along, he says, has been to preserve as much as possible while complying with modern regulations.
"We're building a building that's going to be both consistent with the look and feel that the community comes to expect, but also safe," Pope said.
As a historian, McCrory says he understands these decisions aren’t made lightly.
"The owners of the building have the right to do whatever they want with the building. This particular building is on the registry of historic places, but even that does not keep a building from being torn down. It's really up to the owner," McCrory said.
Going forward, he wants to encourage the community to invest in our historic buildings, so we can keep them.
"The building's already gone. There's nothing I can do to change that. My concern at this point in time and moving forward is the preservation of all other historic buildings in the Downtown Bentonville area, Rogers and surrounding cities, and also the historic houses," McCrory said.
Both McCrory and Pope spoke about the importance of historical preservation in our area.
"We agree with citizens and the residents here in Benton County. We want to make sure that we're preserving this space and the other spaces that we're a part of in a way that is a good steward of the resources that we're responsible for and a good partner for the community that we're a part of," Pope said.
Walmart said people are welcome to visit the temporary location, Walmart Museum Heritage Lab, on the first floor of the Ledger building at 240 S. Main St. in Bentonville.
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