Conway Block Plant is a complete renovation of a masonry manufacturing complex in downtown that will transform the abandoned property into a 30,000-square-foot startup incubator and maker space. In 1950, this plant was constructed by F&F Co. for a local concrete business in Conway. The company shut down operations in 1980. Within a month, Paul Tipton purchased the property and founded Conway Block Inc. in its place. It operated in this building until about 2005, when the new plant across town was built and the old location was abandoned. Most recently, many photographers and filmmakers have used the property as a cool place to do their work.
The complex is positioned on the southern edge of downtown, bordered by an active railway and a private K-12 school. The site is within comfortable walking or biking distance from restaurants and shops, which will make this project immensely attractive to the tech start-ups created in the area. Over the past decade, Conway has become a regional technology hub for Central Arkansas, benefiting from having three colleges in town. This project is creating the rich, interactive, scalable environments that small companies often move to Little Rock to find. Conway has built a reputation as a family-friendly community with low crime and great schools and in close proximity to Little Rock. In the past, large numbers of people have commuted from Conway to Little Rock for work. This project is an attempt to attract and retain the vast amount of talent that the local universities produce by providing vivid, energetic and dynamic office environments that are centrally located.
The original structure will remain in place, with many of the existing cladding and interior materials being reused and repurposed. The existing aged, corrugated, metal roof will become exterior cladding on the north and south. A new roof and insulation will be installed to meet the project’s energy needs. The center open pavilion will be enclosed as lease space and a new shared main entry and lobby will be created to tie the individual leasable areas together. Because the complex has been vacant for years, it has amassed a wonderful collection of graffiti. The developer, Salter Properties, recognizes the wonderful potential of graffiti as a viable art form and wants to incorporate its raw energy and individual expression into the character of the project. The old block kilns will be cut into smaller work areas where creative ideas can still be hatched. Skylights have been added to the kiln spaces in lieu of west-facing windows to reduce train noise. The metal tubes for firing and some of the metal material chutes, hoppers and grates are being repurposed as structure and furniture. The main truss-framed conveyor belt will become the entry portal and signage. The batch mixing tower’s main chute will be salvaged and converted into a skylight above a shared break area. The low mixing chutes are being inverted to become covered outdoor seating. The dynamic incubator layout allows for tenants to grow within the campus. Tenants can start out renting an area as small as a desk, then move to a small office, small suite, large suite, all the way up to a 7,000-square-foot individual lease space, all while sharing the same lobby, lounge, breakroom, bathrooms, showers, locker area and bike storage. The shared common spaces mixed with the on-site coffee shop and 3,000-square-feet of outdoor seating allow for a fertile, collaborative environment for tenants to freely network and cultivate their ideas.
Brent Salter is vice president of Salter Properties.
