Rogers architect and developer Collins Haynes dies at 70

Collins Haynes, a noted architect and developer in Northwest Arkansas, died Dec. 8. He was 70. No cause of death was included in an announcement from HCH Consulting, a Rogers company owned by his son, Hunter Haynes.

Collins Haynes was born in Jackson, Miss. on July 5, 1950. He earned a master’s degree in architecture from Tulane University in 1973, beginning his career as an architect.

According to his obituary, Haynes was named partner at design firm Walk Jones and Francis Mah Inc. in Memphis in 1973. His planning and design experience there included master planning of Shelby State Community College in Memphis and the Memphis Publishing Co. building.

Haynes sold his interest in the firm in 1980 and relocated to Rogers. He served as a visiting professor at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. He later renovated several historical buildings in downtown Rogers and Eureka Springs. He also designed Beau Chene Farms, the first gated community in Rogers.

Haynes’ reputation was bolstered by his work as a developer in Rogers’ Pinnacle Hills area. He was instrumental in the design and development of Pinnacle Point and Metro Park office parks. He was also instrumental in the Springwoods development in west Fayetteville.

Haynes was an original partner in the real estate investment group The Pinnacle Group and the original developer of Pinnacle Point, along with Dave Watson. The rest of the Pinnacle Group investors bought into the firm later. Bill Schwyhart invested in 1999, while J.B. Hunt, Tim Graham and Robert Thornton joined in 2003. Haynes sold his interests in The Pinnacle Group the following year.

Haynes served on the board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, and in 2011 the Haynes-Audubon Trust donated 122 acres of wetlands to the city of Fayetteville.

According to the death announcement, Haynes reunited with his ex-wife, Joyce Haynes, in 2012 after 25 years apart. They enjoyed life on the Elk River with their dogs and horses on their farm in Pineville, Mo. Other survivors include a daughter, Lyndall Haynes and son-in-law Sergio Casselles of Denia, Spain; a son, Hunter Haynes, of Fayetteville; two grandchildren, Harlowe and Henley Haynes of Fayetteville; and a sister, Cindy Anderson and brother-in-law Kurt Anderson of Franktown, Colo.

Funeral services won’t be held until summer 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Rogers Public Art Commission.