J.D. BAILEY
Banner-News
Architecture is a funny thing. What is it about old buildings that make people want to paint, polish, and scrub old furniture and floors? Why not just build something new? The answer is probably best described using one of the oldest clichés around: They just don’t make them like they used to. One local woman would probably agree.
Magnolia native Becky Arnold Jones and her family have always had deep connections with the community. Her grandfather founded Arnold-Baker Chevrolet in 1934, and she has been a local attorney for years. Jones now has an additional title: owner and proprietor of the McAlester Building.
Located east of the downtown square, the classic Art Deco structure has been a landmark in Magnolia for almost 70 years. It is even listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and is part of the Magnolia Commercial Historic District. The five-story building houses a variety of offices, including the Columbia County District Court Clerk’s office, law and geological offices, and one new addition, The White Myrtle Event Center, located on the street level. The area previously occupied by car dealerships has been transformed, thanks to many hours of hard work by Jones and her husband Danny, into a space for almost any event imaginable.
“Joe Woodward was the former owner of the building. I’m the new owner. I bought it from him. We just got the bright idea to make an event center out of it,” Jones said.
Jones, whose law practice has long occupied a McAlester Building suite, was also a close friend of Woodward. She was always on his shortlist as the next potential owner.
“He was trying to get me to buy the building for years, and I’d just laugh in his face,” Jones said. “Finally, when the time came that he needed to sell the building, I said, ‘Throw me a number Joe, just throw me out a number.’ It was doable after a bit of negotiating, to my surprise. He just said, ‘I want somebody who will love it and take care of it to have it.’ I said, ‘Well I’m your girl. I’ve been a tenant here for over 20 years.’”
Jones purchased the building in July of 2015, and Woodward passed away the following March. His wife, Deane, is also glad Jones now owns the building. She told Jones, “Joe would be so proud of what you’ve done.”
Jones is also working in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce and their promotion of the city.
“A film crew is actually coming down from New York as part of the Magnolia website. I’ll be one of those little icons that says Around Magnolia, Arkansas. As part of this Magnolia Chamber of Commerce project they do a live video and audio, and they do a photo gallery on the web page. They have also made me a logo,” said Jones.
The ground floor of the building has now been completely revitalized. The old floors have been shined, the bathrooms remodeled, the walls repainted, and tables and chairs now fill the old office lobby. There’s a lighted Christmas tree during the holiday season. All this can be seen from the giant bay windows looking onto South Jackson Street. The outside has been spruced up as well. New multi-colored glass tiling now covers the front walls.
The old showroom is not the only space that has been renovated for events. The garage bay on the west facing side of the building was also cleaned and set up for gatherings. Tables, chairs, and a catering booth have all been put in place to host bigger crowds.
“I had 200 people down here Saturday night for a company Christmas party. I’ve had class reunions, I’ve had corporate seminars, I’ve had surprise birthday parties, retirement parties, sweet 16 parties, Christmas parties, and I’ve had about five class reunions here. Last year, in April, the Junior Charity League had their fundraiser here. That was my first big event. They brought a big band down from Little Rock. It was a lot of fun,” Jones said.
Most of the event center renovation has been completed, but Jones has further plans for the classic structure.
“I want to get the whole building done eventually–one floor at a time,” Jones said.
She doesn’t have any specific timetable set on when the improvements will be finished. Projects such as these take lots of time and energy. One thing is for certain, though, the old concrete giant is good hands. As Jones said,“I love it, I mean I really love it. It is a cool old building.”