The Little Rock Historic District Commission will be honored later today with a Commission Excellence Award from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC). Selected from a large pool of nominations from across the country, these awards recognize and honor outstanding efforts and achievements by local preservation, historic district, and landmark commissions and boards of architectural review.

Little Rock earned this award in the category of Best Practices in Technology for creating the city’s Historic Sites Web Application. This GIS-based application enables the public to see where the city’s historic districts are located, learn the history of street names, understand the development of Little Rock’s streetcar system, read the history of individual buildings and more. Little Rock’s project is an exemplary model of using technology to make the rich stories of a community’s historic resources accessible to the public.

The Little Rock Historic District Commission will receive the award at NAPC’s biennial conference, FORUM, the only national conference dedicated to the important work of volunteer commission members in locally-designated historic districts. Because of health and safety concerns, the conference, originally set to take place in Tacoma, Washington this summer, has been transformed into FORUM 2020: Preservation Coast to Coast ~ at Home, NAPC’s first online conference. The August 3-9 schedule will be filled with interactive educational sessions, roundtables, virtual tours, and opportunities to connect with fellow preservationists from across the country.

“The City of Little Rock is proud to receive this award. The acknowledgment of our team’s efforts in developing a Historic Sites Web application is greatly appreciated,” said Jamie Collins, Director of Planning and Development. “We hope that this application is used to educate people of our rich and diverse history.”

The award presentation will take place at 6 p.m. (EDT). For more information on FORUM 2020 and how to tune in, please visit http://forum.napcommissions.org/.

Founded in 1983, NAPC’s mission is to build strong local preservation programs through education, advocacy, and training. For more information, visit http://napcommissions.org/.

About the City of Little Rock’s Response to COVID-19
Residents may visit LittleRock.gov/covid19 for all information about the City’s efforts related to COVID-19, including the newly created Small Business Emergency Assistance Program. Volunteers are needed to assist with the grab-and-go feeding efforts for vulnerable populations, including students and seniors. Sign up at LittleRock.gov/volunteer. The Little Rock Cares Emergency Relief Fund benefits the grab-and-go feeding effort and the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). Donations of PPE are also accepted. Donate here or visit LittleRock.gov/covid19 and click on the Little Rock Cares Emergency Relief Fund button. Follow the City of Little Rock on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CityLittleRock.