National Register of Historic listings expanded at Chaffee Crossing

The Chaffee Crossing Historic Preservation Organization (CCHPO) announced Thursday (April 30) the expansion of the Camp Chaffee Historic District at Chaffee Crossing near Fort Smith.

With the assistance of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 14 additional buildings and structures were added to the listing on the National Register of Historic Places that was established in 2011. The district, comprised of WWII-era barracks, administration, dining and recreational buildings and structures, is primarily located between Terry St., Taylor Ave., Ward Ave., Ellis St. and Darby Ave.

New additions to the listing are the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority office, 7020 Taylor Ave., Fort Smith, which served as a Headquarters Building #100 from 1941 to 1997, as well as the complex of administration buildings on each side of the office. Also included is the Vietnam Veterans Chapter #467 Museum, a theater building occupied by the McCafferty Irish Dance Council, a fire station remodeled in 2011 now being used by ATU-Ozark Campus, the Enchanted Doll Museum, Fantasies at the Fort, and one other privately owned building. Other structures added to the register listing include a chimney from a camp recreational hall, two building foundations, a fountain foundation, and a section of railroad between Taylor Avenue and Ward Avenue.

Buildings listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places are eligible for up 45% tax credits on approved restoration. There are 35 buildings in the Chaffee Crossing Historic District available for sale or lease.

FCRA Historic District and Museum Director Joseph Chasteen said the expansion is an ongoing effort to memorialize the impact of Camp Chaffee (known as Fort Chaffee since 1956) on the region.

“Fort Chaffee has had an economic and cultural impact on Fort Smith, the state of Arkansas and U.S. Army history for 74 years. Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority (FCRA) created the Chaffee Crossing Historic Preservation Organization non-profit and the historic district designation to help future generations know, honor and respect this history,” Chasteen said in a statement. “This is just one of many Chaffee Crossing Historic District projects we are exploring to further promote the importance and vitality of the site. Our next project is a campaign to construct a Chaffee Veterans Memorial Plaza with engraved bricks honoring veterans and loved ones that will be launched later this year.”

Chasteen also gives credit to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and the National Register and Survey Program team who worked to help CCHPO achieve the additional listings. Those team members are Travis Ratermann, Survey Historian; Ralph Wilcox, Survey Coordinator; and Callie Williams, National Register Historian.