Former Bud Walton homesite to become botanical garden
by October 27, 2025 12:52 pm 4,369 views
Pictured is the former Bud Walton home in Bentonville.
The former homesite of Bud Walton at 606 E. Central Ave. recently received a permit to operate as a botanical garden. Bentonville Planning Commission approved the permit Oct. 7.
The permit applicant was Rogers-based Crafton Tull, and the property owner is Peel Compton Foundation, a Bentonville nonprofit that operates Peel Museum & Botanical Garden, Compton Gardens & Arboretum, Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, and Osage Park.
According to city records, the plans are “to allow Bud’s House to be restored and the grounds to be converted into a walkable botanical garden accessible to the public.” The permit “will also allow the character of the property to remain intact and will be an asset to the city for years to come.”
In February, Bentonville nonprofit Bentonville Revitalization Inc., a Delaware-registered entity that shares an address with Walton Enterprises LLC and whose president is David Short, paid $8 million for the Walton homesite and adjacent residential properties comprising 7.28 acres east of the downtown square. Short retired as president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Benton County in 2012.
The seller was SE Street LLC, a Delaware-registered entity with Madeline Taylor as general counsel. Taylor, who recently rejoined Rose Law Firm, was also vice president of operations for Bentonville-based Blue Crane, the real estate acquisition and development arm of Bentonville holding company Runway Group. Steuart Walton and Tom Walton, CEO of Runway Group, lead Blue Crane.
The property was transferred to Peel Compton Foundation in July.
Records show the existing home will be restored and converted into offices for eight to 10 Peel Compton Foundation staff. While most of the outdoor grounds will comprise the botanical gardens, minimal indoor areas will be open to the public, including restrooms and a small tea shop. The outdoor area will be enhanced with hardscaping, additional plants and lighting.
Built in 1938, the two-story, 2,930-square-foot estate was the home of businessman James L. “Bud” Walton. Walton and his older brother, Sam Walton, opened the first Walmart store in Rogers in 1962. Bud Walton was later a senior vice president and director for the company. He died in 1995 due to complications from surgery for a stomach aneurysm. He was 73.